LIFELONG LEARNING
Let's
something new! By Heavy Bits, Inc
Snapguide app is a place for makers. Designed to encourage your creativity, it is a platform to discover, create and share your own creation with others who share similar interests.
Create a Guide Snap pictures and videos
It is a beautifully designed app that allows you to view hundreds of how-to guides on varying subjects, and create your own to share. Must say, the topics covered in the guides within the app are vast. It covers recipes, gardening tips, crafts, repairs, do-it-yourself projects, fashion tips, make-up tricks, tech tips and a lot more. Each guide provides easy to understand instructions and follows a step-by-step process that is easily navigated by swiping left to advance and right to go back. Steps in a guide can include videos, photos or plain text depending on the complexity of what's being taught. You can save any guide as your favorite for quick access. The best part is that not only you can discover, but you can also create your own how-to guide using the app. All you need a Snapguide user account. Take
pictures and videos of your project, add captions, and share your guide with the Snapguide community. Simple! Overall, if you want to get inspired for your DIY projects or just want to share your creation with others, Snapguide app is for you. You gonna like it!! Available on: Price: FREE
CONTENTS EDITOR 9 L 12 a note from the
Editor's Choice
et's learn something new! This is a theme of Apps Unveiled this month's issue. The apps in this issue are dedicated to the lifelong learner in each of us. Whether you want to learn guitar or a language or just curious to know how things work – name it – there are apps for everyone. Find out more in the “Lifelong Learning” section of this issue.
We keep our photos in a lot of different places – Agreed? Let's learn the ways to organize thousands of photos stored here and there – all in one secured place, easily accessible straight from our smartphone. Managing and sharing photos with the apps like Trunx and Scene is more than easy. These apps can bring order to your messy photo collection in no time at all. Give them a try; they won't let you down!
Let's learn a whole new way to socialize. How about a privacy button that permanently removes all traces of a conversation with a single click? That's the formula behind Wiper, an instant messaging app that wipes messages and other shared content from the sender's phone, recipient's phone and the company's own servers in seconds. That's not all; you can also make encrypted app-to-app voice calls and privately search, play and share anything on YouTube, all from right inside the Wiper app. Another app named Frankly.me provides you a platform where you can pose questions to the celebrities, who then answer through video selfies. Sounds interesting? Read more about it in the “Appy Socializing” section of this issue. As any pooch-smooching dog lover knows, our furry companions are more than just pets, they are part of the family. We put care into picking their food, toys, bed, and sometimes even clothes – but what about apps? Let's learn how to take the best care of our pets using our smartphone. Needless to say, the apps covered in the “Apps for Pet Lovers” section are musthave apps for a tech-savvy pet lover reading this! The list is not over yet. The recommendation is get your Apps Unveiled copy today and explore the coolest ways to learn something new on your own. Get going! Appy Reading
our team
Jyoti Aggarwal
Editor & Publisher
: Jyoti Aggarwal
Co-Founder
: Vinay Kumar Aggarwal
Editorial
: Soumyarka Gupta
Vishal Jain Akshay Tarfe Creative Design
: Chandana
Website
: Rishabh Kaushik
Circulation
: Devdutt Sharma
For subscription & advertisement queries email at enquiry@appsunveiled.com Call: (+91) 9717097579 Visit us: www.appsunveiled.com
4 May 2015
Myntra app: Your personal fashion stylist – with you wherever you go!
Organize Your Photos
Find out apps that help you organize thousands of your photos in seconds.
14 18 22 26
In Conversation In Conversation with Sanjeev Bobby Sarin, Founder & CEO of Ozone Networks Ltd.
Apps for Pet Lovers 10 must-have apps for a tech-savvy pet lover.
Guest Column The epic journey of Online-only Mobile Brands: New Sales Channel is changing the Game!
Appy to Help Ask a Doctor - Get an answer to your health-related query within few minutes.
‘APPS UNVEILED’ is a publication of AppCrazy Media Private Limited. All information in APPS UNVEILED is derived from sources, which we consider reliable and a sincere effort is made to report accurate and up to date information. It is passed on to our readers without any responsibility on our part. The publisher regrets that she cannot accept liability for errors and omissions contained in this publication, however caused. Material used in this publication is intended for information purpose only. All photographs & logos, unless otherwise indicated, are used for illustrative purposes only. In this publication mobile application or app word has been used interchangeably. However, we wish to advice our readers to go through terms and conditions of each mobile application before downloading the same. All contents of this publication are reserved worldwide. Reproducing in any manner without prior written permission is prohibited. All disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of competent courts and forums in Delhi only. APPS UNVEILED is printed & published by Jyoti Aggarwal on behalf of AppCrazy Media Private Limited and is printed at Pritika Printers, A-21/27, Naraina Industrial Area, Phase-II, New Delhi-110028 and is published from A15, Guru Nanak Pura, Laxmi Nagar, Delhi-110092.
LIFELONG LEARNING
Curious much? Are you curious to know how to start an organic garden? Curious to know how to begin with rock drumming? Or curious to know that how to make a homemade soap? There's no excuse for not knowing something these days, with 'how to' videos available at our fingertips. Introducing the Curious app, designed for the lifelong learner in each of us! The app offers you more than 15,000 “bitesized” video lessons and courses grouped into ten main categories: Biz, Brainy (academically focused section), Code (html, website coding and programming), Craft, Food, Health, Life, Music, Photo and Tech. With topics ranging from proper sewing technique and music classes for beginners to advanced photo editing classes for business branding, Curious app is your goto destination for perusing and discovering cool “how-to”-style content on any subject.
Step-by-Step lessons by Curious also include attachments, assignments and interactions with teachers. Added to that, the app also features “Curious TV”, which is a TV-style version of its 15,000 classes that you can watch for absolutely free on your iOS devices. Curious TV offers all ten aforesaid categories as channels. You can channelsurf around to see what's on at any given moment, which might be anything from a tutorial on excel to music theory for guitarists and find out which show is up next. You can also sign up for reminders. As before, little quizzes, tips, and other interactive elements are interspersed throughout. What's more, you can also find lots of informative curio articles within the app. Curious also provides a range of free, easy-to-use tools for teachers that enable them to market, share, and monetize their lessons to millions of learners.
Duolingo is a quick, easy and free way to learn a language. If you speak English, Duolingo has language-learning programs for you to learn Danish, Dutch, French, German, Irish, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish and Turkish. It also includes language learning programs for other language speakers, for example, Russian speakers can learn German through Duolingo.
As of today, the free version of the app gives you an access to all 10 channels of Curious TV, in addition to 1,000 of the most popular introductory lessons from the Curious Library. If you choose to subscribe to Curious+, you'll get an access to the entire Curious Library. Paid members also will be able to interact with the teachers during the live events on Curious TV. There is an option to try out the Curious+ service for 7 days before subscribing. To sum up, Curious brings a virtual classroom to your smartphone. This is a must-have app for those who always stay eager to learn something new whenever they get a chance. Stay Curious!! Available on: Price: FREE (offers in-app purchases)
Getting started with the Duolingo is easy. Install the app, create your profile, select your language, and you are good to go. The app turns learning into a game with bite-sized lessons. You can start out with the basics, moving to learn pronouns, adjectives, places, animals, clothing, plurals and more. The app keeps a track of your progress and makes sure that you will go through every bit of the module and can't simply jump ahead, skipping lessons. If in case, you are not a beginner, then you have an option to take a test to jump ahead. Tests included in this app adapt to your level by getting harder (or easier) based on your answers. What's more, you can also invite friends to compete with. Appy learning!! Available on: Price: FREE
May 2015 5
LIFELONG LEARNING
Yousician Guitar You may think that you can't learn how to play the guitar by using an app on your iPhone/iPad, but the fact is you can. Yousician Guitar app is here, your personal guitar tutor. This app is the fast and fun way to learn, play and master the guitar. To get started with, all you have to do is grab your acoustic or electric guitar, play along with thousands of songs, exercises, and tutorials and get instant feedback on your accuracy and rhythm. Simple! The app features over 1500 levels, covering all the skills you need: chords, strumming, melodies, lead, fingerpicking, theory, reading, and more. It guides you with easy step-by-step tutorials and gives you exercises that fit your level. There are several ways how this app can help you. If you are a complete beginner, you can load a song from the app. Yousician will show you the proper finger positioning including the right strumming or plucking methods. It also allows you to customize the song's playback option so you can easily follow the chords. You can set the playback to the slowest mode to learn finger positioning, chord shifting, and strumming. If you already know how to play a guitar and just want to refine your skills, you can allow the app to listen to you. The app uses your device's microphone to “listen� to your performance and let you know if you've played a note incorrectly. It will then show you the proper way of playing the song. The best part is that
Yousician's cutting edge audio technology can listen to any real acoustic or electric guitar without the use of additional equipment. Interestingly, Yousician combines the addictive features of games with guitar exercises to make the whole learning process easy, fun and motivating. New challenges added weekly, so whether you're a beginner or a shredder you can compete with your friends and millions of guitarists worldwide. The app also keeps a track of your progress and keeps you
motivated to practice and learn more. Also, it is worth mentioning that free version of the app limits you on how long you can play each day. You can purchase a premium subscription to unlock unlimited play time. Overall, Yousician Guitar is a highly recommended app for all guitar players.
Available on: Price: FREE (offers in-app purchases)
LIFELONG LEARNING
Do you play drums, or want to? Drum Guru is an educational app for drummers of all ability levels from beginner to pro, which delivers the highest quality educational content from some of the world's best known drummers. Drum Guru is the only app of its kind that features real, pro drummers teaching you one-on-one their signature grooves, licks and fills! So, are you ready to learn playing drums from drumming legends such as Jeff Queen, George “Spanky” McCurdy or Stanton Moore? Drum Guru features high quality audiovideo lessons, coupled with music notation and unique practice features so drummers can use the app in the practice room. These video tutorials are grouped into “packs” categorized by ability level and style. Each lesson pack features a “Lesson Mode” and “Practice Mode”. In Lesson mode, which is quite understood, you can watch the videos featuring pro drummers demonstrating great grooves, fills, and sharing other
insights and techniques. Music notation/transcription of each lesson can also be viewed while watching the video. Plus, there is an option to play the videos at half-speed, so you can watch and learn each move carefully. In Practice mode, you will find the lesson written out and can hear it played. You can also pause, loop and adjust the tempo to learn the lesson at your own pace. To sum up, the Drum Guru app is free, and includes a pack of video lessons to
get you started with drumming. Additional packs are available for purchase from within the app, and generally cost $3.99 or $4.99. You can only pay for the lessons you want to learn. Available on: Price: FREE (offers in-app purchases)
Craftgawker By gawkerverse
If you're looking for arts and handicraft ideas, the Craftgawker app makes for a neat place to start. It's a collective resource of inspirational images and creative DIY projects to inspire your crafting, and best of all it's free! The app lets you scroll through thousands of thumbnail images, which are submitted by the craft bloggers from around the world to get inspired. When you tap on any of the images, the app redirects you to submitter's blog post where you'll find a tutorial or the inspiration for the item. You can also tap and hold any image on the app to share it on various social media sites or to translate a foreign language post in your native language.
you sign up for a Craftgawker account, you can even save your favorites on the app to revisit them later. Plus, you can add notes and tags to your favorites to organize them. The free version of the app is limited to 72 posts per screen with an in-app purchase to access all posts. All in all, this app is worth downloading!
Also, it is worth mentioning that the editors review each and every submission by craft bloggers before putting it on the app to ensure quality and creativity, and new pictures are added every weekday. If
Price: FREE (offers in-app purchases)
Available on:
May 2015 7
LIFELONG LEARNING
wikiHow When we are listing the apps that let you learn something new, then wikiHow is a must-have app on the list. Arguably the Internet's best how-to guide to everything, wikiHow contains a wealth of information on just about anything you would want to know how to do. From learning to how to treat a scorpion sting to how to set up your android tablet and how to make a wedding toast - there are tips and advice for anything you could imagine, and even some stuff you'd never have imagined. Step-by-step instructions with supporting images, direct access to YouTube video and links to related articles on wikiHow make sure that you get every bit of information organized, all in one place. There are over 186,000 how-to articles grouped into three main categories: Featured, Random and Survival Kit. The Survival Kit section provides you quick access to useful information on topics such as first aid, self defense, vehicle
emergencies, natural disasters, animal attacks, CPR and Choking among others. And the best part is that no internet connection is required for this section of the app, which means that it could actually help you out in a tough, lifethreatening situation. Moreover, the app supports 15 languages, including Hindi. Overall, if you have a curious side or just want to know how things work, then get the wikiHow app today! Available on: Price: FREE Note: Reviewed on iPhone 5
Discover Great Ideas & Tutorials Guidecentral app is a fun and visual way to discover DIY ideas, learn new skills, and meet amazing people who share your passions. This app really encourages your creativity when it comes to DIY projects and crafts. So what exactly can you find in this app? Well, you'll be able to find a huge collection of DIY ideas which include beautiful homemade crafts, home decor projects, fashion and make-up tips, nail art designs, international and special diet recipes, cake decorating tips, gift wrap ideas and a lot more. Also, you can learn how to make things with basic supplies such as beads, cardboard, clay, fabric, scrap paper, etc. I mean to say, this app helps you find inspiration based on the materials available with you. Not just that, you can also shop your favorite DIY Projects. Find fun and unique do it yourself projects packaged into easy kits with all the supplies you need to
8 May 2015
recreate your favorite DIY ideas at home. Of course, this is a two-way street so as much as you learn from this app you can also give back by sharing your own DIY projects that you have created. This gives other people the chance to be inspired by your creativity. And the best part is that you can earn up to $4 for every new guide and a bit more every time the community engages with your projects. So, this app could be a source of your part-time earnings. So what are you waiting for? Download the Guidecentral app today and discover craft ideas and how to do projects step by step! Available on: Price: FREE
EDITOR'S CHOICE Available on: Price: FREE
If you thought Myntra mobile app is all about shopping for fashion and lifestyle products, here's some news. Far more than being just a shopping app, Myntra is well on its way to be your personal fashion stylist – with you wherever you go!
N
o sooner than you launch the app, the home screen greets you with exciting offers and discounts, latest fashion trends, new arrivals, handpicked looks for both men and women, and write-ups that offer styling tips and videos on topics that range from how to take the perfect selfie to how to find a perfect pair of denims! Myntra aims to bring the power of fashion to shoppers with an array of latest and trendiest products. With the Myntra app, you can shop for everything that helps you look good – from apparels to accessories with a tap and a swipe. With its suave design and user-friendly features, you can breeze through 1,60,000+ product styles from over 1000 brands. Here, you can explore offerings from the best-in-class brands like Tommy Hilfiger, Biba, US Polo, Roadster among many others. With Myntra, you can access and shop for men, women as well as kids with equal ease. To get you quickly to what you are looking for, the Myntra app comes with filters such as brand, colour, price, discount and size. You can also sort the results across different criteria like price and discounts. Other details like material, pattern, size and fit help further in taking an informed decision. And, if that's not enough, you can seek the opinion of friends by sharing the product on platforms like Facebook, Whatsapp or Twitter – all from within the Myntra app! What's more is that if something is in your definitely may-be list – simply put if you'd want to consider it for later - put in the quick access zone by adding it to your wishlist. To top it all, the app offers free shipping benefits, exclusive discounts, 30days hassle-free returns and a convenient cash-on-delivery payment option. What stands out on the Myntra app is three dedicated sections that read 'Look
Good', 'Premium Shop' and 'Shop by Looks'. The Look Good section contains stories and videos on grooming and styling tips, what's trending in the glamour industry and a lot more. Premium Shop, as the name indicates, is the place where you can explore the latest fashion by global brands like Mango, Replay, New Look, DKNY, etc., and trendy collection by fashion designers including Ritu Kumar, Manish Arora, Anita Dongre, Ashish N Soni and Mandira Bedi. Shop By Looks, on the other hand, is where you can shop for dressing up from head to toe for any occasion – be it a wedding or a workout. All the looks are hand-picked by a team of fashion bloggers and stylists from around the world. All in all, the Myntra app is a one stop shop for all your fashion and lifestyle needs. If you love fashion and if you want to look good, grab the Myntra shopping app. Go ahead, download it now from the store or simply give a missed call at 1800-419-3500. Swipe, select and shop!
Rs.300 off on min. value of Rs.999 only on App | Use Code: UNVEIL300 • Search '300-off-on-999' on App to access the catalog and redeem. • Valid till 30 June'15.
May 2015 9
APPY SOCIALIZING
A whole new way to socialize
Wiper Make secure phone calls so nobody listens in.
Erase messages and photos off your friends' phones.
Want a little extra privacy when texting your friends? How about a privacy button that permanently removes all traces of a conversation with a single click? That's the formula behind Wiper, an instant messaging app that wipes messages and other shared content from the sender's phone, recipient's phone and the company's own servers in seconds. All you need to do is just tap on the “Wipe Conversation History” button, and all your messages, whatever they might be, will instantly get erased not only from your phone, but as said also from your friend's phone and the Wiper's servers, so you don't need to worry about your privacy at all. Wiper has many features you'd want in a messaging app. In addition to text and voice messaging, it also offers Wiper's appto-app HD voice calling. To ensure privacy, calls are encrypted too, and Wiper keeps no call log of your conversations. Wiper also lets you know what happens to your content. You can see when messages have been read or wiped. Plus, it notifies you when the other person takes a screenshot of your conversation or forwards a photo (or video) shared by you to others. You can also set a passcode to restrict others access to your Wiper data. Along with the standard functionality of an instant messaging app, it comes with an inapp video player integrated with YouTube, so you can privately play and search for music and other videos on YouTube that you can also share with your friends on Wiper with one tap. Not just that, you can also mark videos as your favorites that you'd like to revisit over and over. What's more, Wiper has taken the concept
of instant messaging to a whole new next level by introducing the “Bitcoin Wallet Payments”. It allows you to send digital currency- bitcoin to other Wiper users just like you send or receive a text message or photo. You can also check your bitcoin transaction history and wallet balance. To sum up, Wiper is more than just an instant messenger; it is a future of instant messaging apps. Not only you can send encrypted text/voice messages and make voice calls, but can also search, play and share anything on YouTube, all from right inside the Wiper app. And yes! You can also exchange bitcoins with your Wiper contacts. Moreover, this free app is available in 23 languages. So what are you waiting for? Get the Wiper messenger today and keep your conversations or say chats as private as possible with a clean wipe! Available on: Price: FREE
APPY SOCIALIZING
Talk to Celebrities This is something really new. Frankly.me is a place where you pose questions to the celebrities, who then answer through video selfies. The app tries to diminish the gap between common people and celebrities by bringing well-known people on its platform and allowing fans to ask questions. Twitter is doing a great job in connecting celebrities with their fans, but the world of 140 characters is not enough to fulfill the demands of today's fan. Moreover, the conversation is one-sided as the fans don't get a chance to ask questions to celebrities. This is the problem that Frankly.me app is trying to solve. Another difference between something like Twitter and Frankly.me is that the answers on this app have to be in video format. This means you know that your question is getting answered by your idol and not by a person employed to write emails. For example, a tweet by Salman Khan may not actually be written by the actor, but on Frankly.me, the interaction becomes more personal as the celebrity himself answers back with a selfie video. In addition, you also have the option to like, share and comment on the answers that celebrities have posted. Interestingly, the selection of a question to be answered is 'diplomatic'. Other users can up vote a question. Thus, the most up voted questions or most asked questions are usually answered by the celebrities. This means you can check out the questions asked by fellow Frankly.me users and click on 'Request Answer'
tab to increase its possibility of getting answered. Of course, you can ask new questions as well. Coming to the app's user interface, it is very interactive and intuitive. To get started with Frankly.me, you have to choose minimum three celebrities that you want to follow. The chosen ones will then be shown in the 'Feeds' tab. From there, you can 'Ask' questions or 'Request Answer'. Or simply get to know about your favorite celebs by browsing their answers, gossip and views on important issues. Even your profile on the Frankly.me is not less than a celebrity. You can add your introduction video to your profile and invite your friends to ask you questions for video replies. Launched in December 2014, Frankly.me is currently in beta with around 30,000 registered users and this number is growing at about 1500 users per day. Moreover, it has roped in over 213 famous personalities, including politicians Arvind Kejriwal, Kiran Bedi, and Somnath Bharti. Also, celebrities like Chef Vikas Khanna, Wrestler Sangram Singh, Snapdeal Founder Kunal Bahl, Singer Shafqat Amanat Ali, Composer Meet Brothers, lyricist Javed Akhtar, and RJ Naved are there to answer your questions through video selfies.
Overall, Frankly.me has got a good start and once celebrities from Bollywood and Cricket start becoming active on the platform, the growth can skyrocket. Founders are working hard to get public figures from different backgrounds and languages on the platform. Available on: Price: FREE
May 2015 11
ORGANIZE YOUR PHOTOS
Backup your photos securely to the cloud
By Lifetime Memori
Storing your smartphone photos in the cloud not only free storage space on your phone, but also keep your photos safe, even if your device is lost, destroyed or stolen. There are lots of cloud services in the app market, but here we are introducing Trunx mobile app, which is more than a photo cloud storage service. Trunx is an allin-one photography app for smartphone users. With Trunx, you can snap, store and share all your pictures in a safe, private and secure photo vault without ever worrying about space on your device! To begin with, simply create your user account and allow Trunx access to your photos. After that, Trunx will automatically start importing your photos and save them to the cloud. Trunx recognizes that we keep our photos in a lot of different places. That's why it lets you connect with several other services such as Instagram, Facebook, Dropbox, and more, to
Capture memories without using storage
bring all your photos into one secured location. It also comes with Desktop Uploader software for Mac and Windows PC, so you can add photos from your computer to your Trunx account. Trunx aims to be a one-stop secure cloud storage space for all your personal memories. When you sync your photos for the very first time, it's important to note that syncing will not happen immediately; it depends on the number of photos you have and the speed of your internet connection. Also, it should be noted that Trunx app sync only your photos not videos. When all of your photos get uploaded and synced to the Trunx app, all you have to do is just sit back and relax. Your photos will automatically be organized by date and time. You can view each day at a glance on the Trunx's Timeline, your whole life story with the Calendar, or you can use Tags to sort your memories your way. You can now also delete original photos from your phone to free up the storage space. And yes! Trunx app doesn't compromise with the quality of your photos. As said earlier, Trunx is an all-in-one photography app; it also features built-in “Camera”, which enables you to click photos, videos and EchoPix™ straight from the app.
EchoPix is a feature, which lets you add a snippet of audio to a photo to give it more life. The app will save all your memories to your Trunx's cloud account in real time. You don't need to worry about the storage space as the app's free version gives you 15GB of cloud storage for free of cost, and you can earn additional 2GB for every friend that joins Trunx with your invite code -- no limits! What's more, Trunx lets you create collaborative albums with friends and family. SharedPix™ by Trunx is the quickest way to bring together photos and videos from others into shared albums. Create a private album and watch it evolve as others add their photos and videos, too. This is great when you're with a group at an event like a birthday or wedding because you can make sure everyone's photos are going to the same collection. The app also comes with Apple watch support. All said, Trunx is a great app for ones who love capturing memories every new day! Give it a try!! Available on: Price: FREE
By Ripplex Inc.
Scene-A New Way to Do Photos On an outing with friends? So, groupfie is must! We are now so used to capture moments every now and then, all thanks to the camera enabled smartphones. Click, edit and share directly to social networking sites with a few swipes and taps. But how to organize them once you're finished? However, since we are taking more pictures than ever in recent years, it's best to organize them regularly before they eat up all phone storage space or are forgotten altogether. Moreover, when the photos are organized, it's easy to locate any of them from thousands of photos stocked on our phone. Here, enters Scene mobile app - a new way to do photos. Let's learn more about this app.
Find your photos in a flash
Scene is a simple and straightforward photo app that automatically organizes your photos by date, so you know at a glance when each photo was taken. It puts all of your photos on a calendar interface, which is almost like your virtual timeline, where each date on the calendar is filled with photos taken on those dates. The app also features “Smart Slider� that makes it fast and easy to scroll back to a certain point in time. It lets you find any photo you want in just few seconds. There is also an option to mark photos as favorites for quick access.
grid view, so you can easily add several photos at once into an album with simple drag-and-drop. You can create as many albums as you'd like with up to 1,000 photos in each album. And yes! Once you've created an album, you can share it with your friends on various social networking sites at the touch of a finger. In fact, you can also share your album with those friends who are not on the Scene app or any social networking site. Actually what happens is: Scene creates a web-link of your album that can be viewed on any web browser or feature With a simple design and phone. One can also like and intuitive interface, Scene post comments on the photos makes it a breeze to locate in a shared album. Plus, you your favorite pics and organize can also invite your friends them into albums. The app who can add their own arranges all your photos in a photos to your albums, creating a record of your shared memories.
Jump back in time a lightning speed with the Smart Slider.
What's more, you can install 'Scene Connect' software on your PC or Mac to sync your digital camera pictures with
the Scene app, so you can have all your photos in the palm of your hand. Also, it is worth mentioning that you don't have to sign up for an account to use the Scene app on your phone. If you do create an account, photos will be synced to across your devices that have the app installed. To sum up, Scene app can handle and organize your thousands of photos with ease. Intuitive browsing lets you find photos from your vast collection in no time at all. In all, managing and sharing photos with the Scene app is more than easy. So, if you are looking for an app that lets you organize all your photos in a jiffy or bring order to your messy photo collection, you are at the right place. Try Scene app today!
Available on: Price: FREE
May 2015 13
IN CONVERSATION
O
zone is a leading Public Wi-Fi service provider in India with a class 'A' ISP license. Ozone Networks has deployed 6500 access points and 1500 public hotspots across 26 cities, top 23 major metros covering the entire gamut from Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets. More than 1500 Ozone Wi-Fi locations enjoy an average footfall of 40-45 million people a month. In an email interview with Apps Unveiled team, Sanjeev Bobby Sarin, CEO & Founder of Ozone Networks shared his future plans and said, “Ozone's vision is to build a neutral Wi-Fi network of one million hotspots that will be the “5G Netowrk” for entertainment and interesting content. It will service the 500-700 million people who may not be able to afford or access 3G/4G or home broadband services, and allow them to share in Digital India”. Edited Excerpts: Q. Tell us a bit about Ozone Wi-Fi service. How does it work? How one can access Ozone Wi-Fi service? Ozone is a leading Public Wi-Fi service provider in India with a class 'A' ISP license and has been in operations since 2008. It operates in major locations in India, such as coffee shops, restaurants, airports, education establishments, hotels, hospitals and commercial establishments. Ozone aspires to provide a seamless experience to all its customers, any location anytime. To access Ozone's Wi-Fi, one need to download an app called “Ozone Connect”, which is available on Google Play. This allows customers to seamlessly login, the moment they enter an Ozone Wi-Fi hotspot. Q. Where one can access the Ozone Wi-Fi service across the country? Tell us about your presence. Ozone Networks has deployed 6500 access points and 1500 public hotspots across 26 different cities, top 23 major metros covering the entire gamut from Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets. More than 1500 Ozone Wi-Fi locations enjoy an average footfall of 40-45 million people a month. There are anywhere between 40,000 to 42,000 users per day on our network. The usage has increased by 500% in the last 9 months, demonstrating a major demand for Wi-Fi and data in India. At present, Mumbai Airport has about 21,000- 25,000 people surfing the internet via Ozone's Wi-Fi networks on a daily basis, which is way ahead than all the other airports of the country put together. Wi-Fi is really on the move in India, which will see a significant spurt in Wi-Fi hotspots, driven by the recent initiatives undertaken by the government for
14 May 2015
realising the “Smart Cities” & “Digital India” dream. The four cities, namely Mumbai, New Delhi, Pune and Bengaluru cover for more than 60% of the entire Wi-Fi usage via Ozone Wi-Fi service. Also, the average user session has moved from 10 minutes to 42 minutes, therefore the response to the service is very positive & strong. 65% of the users are repeat users, which is a massive endorsement to Wi-Fi in India. Lastly, 92% of our users access the network via an Android based operating system. Windows covers 3.74%, and interestingly iOS only cover 0.8%. Q. Is it a free Wi-Fi service or a paid one? Please tell us about the cost involved. How do you charge your customers for using the Ozone Wi-Fi service? I would call the service - complimentary Wi-Fi for the customer. As at the end of the day, one has to pay for the network. We are also exploring possibilities of partnership with advertisers and businesses of allied interest. The service is 'free' only for the first few minutes, and those who wish to continue using the Wi-Fi will have to purchase recharge cards or pay online. Q. You have recently launched Ozone Connect mobile app. What is it all about? What are the benefits of having this app on a smartphone? Ozone Connect is the 1st ever AutoConnect mobile app in India. This allows customers to login, the moment they enter an Ozone Wi-Fi hotspot. Once the users got the app installed, they just need to do simple SMS verification to get registered. The biggest benefit of the app
is that it eradicates any type of manual intervention as the entire process takes place automatically at the backend without the customer going through a cumbersome process of registering each time they enter a location. For the customer, the Ozone Connect app extends a “Home Wi-Fi” experience. Q. What are the major challenges in your line of business and how did/do you overcome them? The overall Wi-Fi market is growing at an even bigger pace and promises to take off as a whole host of professional and customization services are beginning to grow. However, there remain a few fundamental challenges like poor connectivity, lack of infrastructure and security. But the biggest challenge is to obtain an Internet line to connect to our equipment in a location. Lack of uniform availability and the quality of connections nationwide is the biggest challenge for us to start and manage carrier grade service across the network. Q. What are your plans to expand the Ozone Wi-Fi service massively in India in near future? In the next two years, Ozone plans to deploy around 30,000 locations. In the next five years, Ozone plans to go up to 500,000 locations and those will get split between Public and Private Locations. Private Locations focus on hotels, hospitals, and university campuses and hostels where there is a closed user group for Wi-Fi, whereas Public Locations focus on open locations where all users can access Wi-Fi such as restaurants, coffee shops and railway stations. Since all the relevant technologies of
IN CONVERSATION today, be it 3G or 4G are going to co-exist, Wi-Fi will be a predominant connection for people to connect in-building, or on the move in public locations, etc. Q. Please share your views on how free Wi-Fi will impact mobile data companies. As seen in North America and Europe, free Wi-Fi is not really “free� as one has to pay for the service, and normally in those markets it's the location owner or the mobile data companies. This is the only way the Wi-Fi network can sustain itself. What this does allow them to do is to offload data capacity from their overused mobile networks, and allow the user to get a better user experience over Wi-Fi. This helps with user retention and brand loyalty as well as mobile capacity management. India will evolve in a similar way as in many locations, the 3G capacity is choked, so how do we ensure users get data services? Wi-Fi will be a solution; we just have to ensure that the Wi-Fi business model can sustain itself.
the right to access affordable data services. As we buy broadband from the large Operators, we cannot support a model where a consumer on a Wi-Fi hotspot is charged on the basis of what he surfs. We believe in one charge for access, and within the law of the land, the user should be free to access the internet. How would an operator bill us if this differential pricing is allowed, it seems to be going against the conventions operated in other markets. Q. Lastly, in your opinion, how important is Wi-Fi in India's digital empowerment? I am very excited about the opportunity we have in India. We are still lagging behind in comparison to countries like China and US, with a broadband penetration as low as 6% with a population of 1.27 billion. Look at where Wi-Fi is today and where it can be in times to come. We at Ozone are
aiming to reach 1 million hotspots by 2020 and build a critical mass of customers that thrives and lives on Wi-Fi across the country, as it allows them access to affordable data services that they cannot otherwise afford. Not to forget that we are seeing immense growth in the ecommerce, social networking, mobile apps & analytics space! India is a market filled with talent and what it needs is an ecosystem. With the Government aggressively pushing out the Digital India mandate, things definitely look highly promising from a future standpoint, as this will benefit the growth and wealth of the nation. Therefore, Wi-Fi is an important tool in digital empowerment to the people.
Q. How a decision against Net Neutrality would impact Wi-Fi? We are big proponents of Neutrality, as ultimately we believe the consumer has
MEET
Sanjeev Bobby Sarin Currently I'm using an iPhone My Favourite App picks WhatsApp and Viber I am a regular user of WhatsApp My message for Apps Unveiled Readers We have just partnered with a company called SpeedFetch. Download the SpeedFetch app to see how we will provide low cost, high speed entertainment to the masses in India.
May 2015 15
FUN ZONE
By Nekki Games
Imagine a dystopian world where there is no free thinking. An absolute and totalitarian regime rules and people are stuck in the rigmarole of daily life. The same routine every single day. No questions asked. Now imagine yourself in that world, turning into a hero because you want to question, to think and to break away from the monotony. That's what Vector is all about. The graphics are incredibly simple but attractive. And your task is really straightforward, but deceptively difficult. You have to run away from the boring life and from the law enforcers of the crazy world. You will jump across walls and spaces, slide under utility towers and along the way, pick up coins, speed and energy to aid in your escape. The number of stages just doesn't seem to end! As you start the game, you will be given instructions on basic functions like jump, slide and accelerate. Once the tutorial is through, the race begins. As you run for dear life, you have a law enforcer-“Big Brother� chasing you, armed with a Taser. He's just as good as you and if he catches you, he will kill you. This game is all about timing. It draws its inspiration from Parkour, the art of running, jumping, climbing, and tumbling in a continuous, fluid free-run. When you jump
or slide or accelerate, everything matters. You will be running through the offices, across rooftops and over hurdles. As stages advance, the chase gets tougher. And there are a lot of tricks and treats that you will pick up along the way. As you keep adding coins and experience, you will stay ahead of the enforcer, which is your main objective. The gaming experience is beautiful and addictive. And yes, you can share your achievements with your friend on social media. But the game consumes a fair amount of battery and the controlling takes a while to get used to. Nevertheless, it's a game you must try if you're fond of running games or of science fiction. Download now and good luck staying ahead.
Available on: Price: FREE (offers in-app purchases)
FUN ZONE
By PIKPOK
How many four letter words can you think of? No, this isn't some kind of a stupid question. It's the concept of PikPok's new word game, Four Letters. Four Letters assigns players the deceptively simple task of rearranging four random characters into a word. It doesn't seem that making four letter words is all that difficult, but when the clock starts ticking, it's always a bit tougher. It's you against your brain and the clock! Gameplay: You're given four letters in a circle, and your job is to identify a four letter word from the given letters. As you make your selection, a timer, in the form of a circle encompassing the letters will begin to count down. If the timer runs out, it's game over. Luckily, each correct answer slightly replenishes the clock. If this time extension ever overfills the circle, you will
receive a point bonus as well. The game also comes with game center support and achievements to show off among friends. Challenge: This simple yet challenging game is all about chasing a high score. You have to make four letter words as much as you can within a limited overall time. Four Letters doesn't care how many two or three letter words you may see in a puzzle. The only thing that matters is how fast you can find one of maybe three possible solutions. This, coupled with the game's ever present countdown timer, makes for a frantic and challenging experience. Conclusion: This is quick fire wordplay at its very best, and it won't cost you anything to download it and give it a go. Available on: Price: FREE (offers in-app purchases)
Shades By UOVO
If you’re a fan of Tetris game, chances are you’ll like Shades. The basic concept of Shades is similar to Tetris: Match the falling bricks together to clear rows and avoid a massive pileup that reaches the top of the screen. The only difference is that Shades asks you to match blocks based on the shade of their color rather than the physical shape. Gameplay: The game has simple rules. All blocks in Shades are of the same shape, but they vary in the shade of their color. You have to place two blocks of the same color on top of each other to combine them into a single block of a darker color. When you create a row of the same color, it disappears. Simple! But let me tell you it is not that easy. That good old “simple but difficult to master” motto applies here.
Create a row of the same color to clear the row.
Challenge: When a certain number of rows are cleared, the game enters a new level, and quickly picks up in speed and difficulty. The higher the level, the faster the blocks will drop. And, that's the thrill of Shades. You will need to stay on top of your toes and have fast reflexes in order
to get the blocks where you need them to be. Once a stack of blocks reaches the top of the screen, the game ends and you need to start over. Moreover, Shades has unlimited levels. So, how high can you go? Plus, you can challenge your friends to compete with you. Conclusion: This super simple, but the surprisingly challenging game will challenge you to think very fast. If you still need another reason to get this game, here it is. This game was selected as the “App of the week” on the App Store, and also got featured in Apple's “Best New Games”. Available on: Price: $1.99 (or INR 120)
May 2015 17
APPS FOR PET LOVERS
A
s any poochsmooching dog lover knows, our furry companions are more than just pets, they are part of the family. We put care into picking their food, bed, toys, and sometimes even clothes — but what about apps? Pet care has gone mobile! Whether it's taking better care of your pets or communicating better with them, the latest mobile apps make it easy and fun. We tried out many of these and here are our picks of favourite apps for a techsavvy pet lover!! 18 May 2015
Pet Phone Sometimes half the battle of pet care is just keeping track of everything you've done and need to do to keep the wet-nosed buddies healthy. It is difficult to keep track of all of your pets' information and their appointments. The Pet Phone app is all about making it easy to keep your important petrelated information organized and in one place. Pet Phone is a clean, userfriendly app that offers tracking and storage of multiple pets, including everything from general information to vet visits, such as microchip number, date of birth, weight, allergies, vaccinations, medications and vet appointments.
Here are some of the features of Pet Phone app that will help you keep your pet healthy and happy: • Store multiple vets for each pet and keep track of their appointments. • Note down the reason for your each visit to the vet. The app provides you a list of reasons to pick from, or you can enter your own reasons. • Weight Tracking and Graphing: Enter the weight of your pet after each vet visit and see the results on the graph. You can also set goals for your pets if they are over or underweight. • Locate a vet near your current location. In case you’re not around your usual vet and your pet needs help, then you can search for vets near your current location. • Medications Tracking: Just enter the name, dosage and the start and end dates and you can quickly see what types of medications your pets are on. • Allergy Tracking: If your pet is allergic to something you can store the name, severity, and notes about the allergy so that you know exactly what to tell the vets if they ask about allergies. All of this bundled into a very easy to use interface makes tracking your pets' health simple. So get rid of the paper mess and let Pet Phone app simplify your pets' health records. Available on: Price: INR 190 | $2.99
APPS FOR PET LOVERS
petMD Symptom Checker
PetCoach
Want to know why your dog is scratching? Or perhaps why your cat is sneezing? Does your dog have kennel cough? Find answers to these questions and hundreds of others relating to your dog or cat health. The petMD Symptom Checker app allows you to easily search over 2,500 dog and cat health articles based on the symptoms your pet is experiencing. All articles are written and approved by veterinarians. Each article contains a detailed description explaining the condition, its symptoms, causes, diagnosis, the best treatment options combined with living and management of the condition, and prevention, if applicable. Though every article on this app is written and approved by veterinarians, it should not replace your own veterinarian. The petMD Symptom Checker app is meant as a guide to help you understand conditions that may be affecting your pet. Always visit your veterinarian regularly to care for your pet's health. Available on: Price: FREE
iKibble Hundreds of food types, built-in search function, browse foods by category or health rating for your dog. iKibble is an app for dogs and dog owners everywhere. How many times have you wondered, “Can I feed this to my dog?” Quickly scroll through some common foods you know, to see if your dog can eat them too. The app provides you a list of food ingredients and common foods with extensive information of which of these foods are good and bad for dogs and why. For instance: “Sliced pineapple fruit pieces are a great way to stop your dog from eating its own poop. Be sure not to feed the skin, as it's sharp and can cut your dog.” You can mark food items as your favorites to quickly revisit the information later and can also add notes, if required. Interestingly, the app also includes doggy approval sounds for each type of food. iKibble app makes sure that you won't make the mistake of feeding your dog potentially toxic foods ever again!
If you have questions about your pet's health, nutrition, behavior, or any other topic, why not ask those who know best? Thanks to the PetCoach app. It helps you become the ultimate pet parent by asking those who know best. With the help of PetCoach app, you can obtain timely advice from trusted veterinarians, dog trainers, behaviorists and other verified pet experts about your pet's health concerns, behavioral issues, grooming tips, natural pet products and much more. Whether you own a Labrador Retriever, a Chihuahua, an American Shorthair cat, a guinea pig or a pony, PetCoach experts can help you. The app gives you direct access to vets and trainers and the great advice that they can provide you with via forums, and you can also see what other pet parents are asking. Learn how to potty train your puppy, stop your cat's itching and scratching, obtain a second opinion about your dog's diet or discover how to prevent fleas and ticks- you'll find answers for your every query. Moreover, you can also find and schedule an appointment with the nearest pet expert right from within the app.
Available on:
Available on:
Price: FREE
Price: FREE
May 2015 19
APPS FOR PET LOVERS
If you are planning to travel with your pooch this summer vacation, BringFido is a must-have app for you. Reflecting the BringFido.com travel website, the app is an excellent resource for quickly finding dogfriendly destinations, accommodations, restaurants, beaches, and, of course, parks. When you search for hotels it shows you what their pet policy is, whether there is an extra fee, amenities and guest reviews to help you narrow down the right place for your pooch. With BringFido app, not only you can search for pet-friendly hotels, but you can also make reservations. Sort the hotels by distance, popularity, rating and price. Traveling with a big dog or more than one pet? You can use filters
PET ACOUSTICS Growing research shows that music therapy can have a calming effect on animals. Just as music for humans can change the mood and feel of an environment, this is true for animals as well. Pet Acoustics is an app that plays music created specifically with dogs, cats and horses in mind, to calm and relax them. Pet Acoustics music will greatly benefit your pet by filling their environment with a sense of safety, connectedness and love. Pet Acoustics music has been specifically designed for the hearing sensitivities of your pet, both in frequency, volume and rhythm to calm and soothe your pet anytime, anywhere. The app's music can be beneficial in numerous
20 May 2015
on-the-go situations, such as helping relax a dog who is fearful of car rides. It offers you several tracks to choose from, but you're going to have to test this iPhone/iPad app and see if it works for your pet. Available on: Price: INR 120 | $1.99
to find hotels that welcome big dogs and multiple pets. You can even narrow results to browse hotels that don't charge a pet fee. There is also an option to call or email pet-friendly travel experts, in case of a query. What's more, the app also helps you find nearby attractions, upcoming dog events, and local resources such as dog walkers, groomers, sitters, veterinarians, and pet supply stores. Don't see your favorite place listed? You can use the app to post a new petfriendly location and share a photo of your dog enjoying his favorite spot.
Available on: Price: FREE
Dog Training Learn fast and simple dog and puppy training tips and advice that will help you turn a difficult puppy or dog into an obedient pet. When you have this app, you don't need to read those thick books on dog training. The developer has managed to compile precise information about dog training in a single app. For instance, in this app, you can find quick tips on how to train aggressive dogs, how to teach your dog his name, how to brush his teeth, how to understand dog's body language, or even how to train deaf and blind dogs. The app mainly focuses on the obedience training; after all, it is one of the most important aspects of raising a dog. In fact, a well-trained
dog is by far a happier dog because a trained dog requires fewer restrictions. Available on: Price: FREE
APPS FOR PET LOVERS
DOG ANATOMY: CANINE 3D You love dogs, but do you know them inside and out? Enter Dog Anatomy: Canine 3D app, which offers an up-close, gesturefriendly visual reference to what makes them tick. With more than 300 anatomical structures, this app goes under the fur to show the inner workings of your favorite hounds, right down to their muscles, organs, and bones. This app comes complete with loads of high-quality 3D models that can be rotated and zoomed in and out of to help you get the right vantage point, plus you can cut right down through each layer to view muscles, skeletal structures, and the organs. This app covers superficial landmarks, superficial and deep muscles, bones, and organs, all with labels that you can tap to get details of each structure with audio pronunciation, text descriptions and a close-up view. Not only that, you can also
quiz yourself on each section of the dog anatomy you just studied. If in case, you are not satisfied with the app's built-in quizzes, then you also have the option to either make your own quiz, or have the app quiz you on just what you missed. Overall, with voluminous information and superb images, this app is ideal for those who are currently in the process of studying to become a vet. Available on: Price: $ 4.99 | INR 300
DogVacay is an app that connects pet owners with over 20,000 loving pet sitters across the U.S. and Canada. With screened and experienced sitters, 24/7 customer support, and daily photo updates, pet parents can drop their furry friends off for daycare or overnight boarding with peace of mind. And with DogVacay handling insurance, payment, and customer support, pet sitters can focus on what they love most—animals!
daily photo and video “pupdates” of your pet while you’re away. The app features VacayCam, which allows pet “hosts” to take pictures Hey Pet Parents! With DogVacay your pup of animals and send them to their owners. stays in the loving home of a trusted and When taking a picture with the VacayCam, insured dog sitter who takes care of your pooch like a member of their family. And yes, the app emits a sound, such as a grumpy cats and other animals are welcome too! The cat, meow or pipsqueak, which (in theory) attracts the dog’s attention and creates a app lets you find pet sitters near you, better end picture. Pet hosts can edit the available to watch pets in their home or pictures with stickers, frames and text right yours. Before making reservations, you can within the app before sharing them with the have complete information about the hosts, pet owners. VacyCam is such a useful including their services, charges, feature that pet owners can especially use credentials, special skills, availability and this app only for VacayCam. What’s more, the reviews by other pet owners. You can also schedule a meeting with the host, or can the app also includes useful tips and tricks for the pet owners. ask a question straight from the app. As mentioned in the introduction, you can travel with peace of mind as you receive
PUPPY COACH 101 Got a new puppy? Awwwww.....so cute! Wait, Hold on! Is your super adorable, fun-loving new pup slowly, but surely destroying your sofa, your favorite shoes, and your hardwood floors? Barking, nipping, yelping, peeing everywhere, and making you a little bit crazy in the process? Don't worry! Puppy Coach 101 video-based app is there to help you train your puppy in the best manner possible. The app combines bite-sized instructional video clips featuring Joanne Lekas, professional dog trainer and positive reinforcement puppy guru, with a well-organized, easy to use interface that tracks your training progress, so you can coach your puppy quickly and confidently. The training program includes 30+ easy-to-follow videos covering 9 topics: Introduction, Crate training, House training, Teaching Name, Teaching Sits, Coming When Called, Biting & Nipping, Handling & Grooming, and Take it & Drop it. The breed of the dog doesn't matter and this app is suitable for all types. You can track your progress by checking off the sub-topics as you and your pup master them. Once the training got complete, you can also email yourself a puppy diploma. All in all, with some work and dedication, you can turn your out-of-control puppy into a member of your family who is very well behaved. Available on: Price: INR 190 | $ 2.99
Available on:
Price: FREE
May 2015 21
GUEST COLUMN
NLINE EXCLUSIVE
The Epic Journey Of Online-only Mobile Brands: A Revolutionary New Sales Channel Is Changing The Game!! By Suresh Sharma Founder and Director | iSpyPrice.com
I
n the last 12 months or so, a number of mobile brands have adopted the online-only sales strategy and results indicate that consumers have taken a liking to this new approach. In India, the online-only strategy was first embraced by Motorola with their then flagship product Moto G in partnership with India's largest e-commerce marketplace, Flipkart. When Motorola first announced this approach, few market analysts would have expected the Moto G to sell out within 15 minutes of its first opening. While this event has been eclipsed by rival brands such as Xiaomi and OnePlus, in hindsight, it will forever be remembered as the beginning of a consumer trend that nobody had previously anticipated. Now that this model has stood the test of time and has been adopted by a number of brands, reasons for its success are slowly coming to the fore. Reaching smaller cities One very plausible reason why mobile brands such as Xiaomi and OnePlus have successfully entered the market through their online-only strategy is the reach that an online platform like Flipkart offers their product. By adopting an online-only strategy, these brands are able to reach consumers in smaller cities where the retail sector isn't organized as well as it is in the bigger cities. An online-only strategy
22 May 2015
limited variety they might find at a retail store. Also, the process of price and specifications comparison made online shopping more simpler, thanks to leading price comparison websites like iSpyPrice.com, mysmartprice, smartprix, etc. and consumers don't have to visit multiple physical retail outlets before they can finally zero in on their choice. The ability to control prices actually allows these brands to give their products unprecedented visibility in Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities right from day one. Another important factor why the onlineonly approach has worked is that with time, consumers have grown more comfortable with online buying. Consumer awareness of products has increased manifold compared to what it was a few years ago. Offline buying is overrated Consumer awareness and improved online buying experiences have also led mobile brands into believing that offline buying is overrated. These days, when consumers want to buy a new phone; they often resort to comparing the prices and specifications on offer from various brands before arriving at a decision. This process can be best executed online with a wide variety of brands for them to choose from when compared to the
Perhaps the most important reason why brands like Xiaomi, OnePlus, and even new entrants like InFocus are using an online-only strategy is that this allows them to control the pricing strategy of their products. Just like other consumer electronics goods, mobile brands have always had to go through the cumbersome distributorretailer cycle to make their product accessible to the consumer. In the traditional offline model, mobile brands either build their own distribution network or strike a deal with one or more established distributors. And if you are a foreign brand looking to make inroads
GUEST COLUMN into a local market, this cycle gets further complicated.
convinced, the offline distributorretailer cycle is likely to remain healthy in the foreseeable future.
In a market that changes every few months and has an incredible number of competitors, building one's own distribution network is a hassle most foreign brands would ideally want to avoid. This is mainly because this is a time consuming process. The other option for these brands is to opt for a national distributor. These national distributors will end up making a margin on the sale of each device, pushing the price of the device up. Then come the regional distributors, they also need to make a margin on the sale of each device, pushing the device's price further up. Finally, it's the turn of the retailers to make a margin on the sale of each device. By this time, the price of the device goes up by a fair notch. If you think Xiaomi's current flagship the Mi4’s 16 GB version is a steal deal at Rs. 19,999/- consider adding another Rs. 3,000-5,000/-, or maybe more, to that price and it doesn't sound like a steal deal anymore, does it? That's what the distributor-retailer cycle can do to the price of a device. Xiaomi and the likes can afford to give the consumer a favorable price because the online-only strategy allows them to do so. This is also why you get to see different prices for the same devices on various ecommerce marketplaces. Mobile brands are able to pass the benefit of price saving to the consumer. The e-commerce brands also don't need to save a margin from a sub-retailer. It's a win-win situation for all parties involved. A high success ratio Motorola's online-only strategy for the various versions of the Moto G and later the Moto E was such an incredible success that they ended up selling more than a million of these devices. Xiaomi followed suit and has done well with the sale of its Mi3, Mi4, and Redmi 1s devices. This strategy has paid rich dividends for Xiaomi as they are now among the top 3 smartphone brands in the world, third only to Apple and Samsung. Earlier this year, the Micromax-owned Yu Televentures brand launched its first flagship product- the Yureka. They entered into a deal with e-commerce giant Amazon for the online sale of this device.
The growth of e-commerce, Internet penetration, and future prospects for the online-only strategy
Brands such as Lenovo and Xolo have also decided to adopt this strategy. Lenovo has already announced its plans to take on the likes of Xiaomi with its online-only brand Shenqi. Brands like vivo are making a foray into the market taking advantage of this method. Lava International's smartphone brand Xolo has been in the news for building its own e-commerce platform which it intends to use for the purpose of reaching a wider consumer base for an online-only sub-brand it is building. This still isn't the right choice for everybody While the online-only strategy may have many ups, it also offers no immediate reasons for bigger players to join the bandwagon. Huge brands like Apple Inc. aren't likely to switch to this sales channel full-time anytime in the near future. They have no reason to do so. Apple's sales are built upon brand value and standing in a queue to buy an Apple iPhone is still very much a fan thing. Apple's marketing makes the brand and its products desirable and that is why switching to an online-only model seems highly unlikely. Then there is the South Korean behemoth Samsung. Samsung currently sells a large majority of its smartphones through the traditional model. It does offer select etailers exclusive deals where they can sell a particular Samsung mobile through their online marketplace, but by and large Samsung is a supporter of the traditional method and believes in this sales channel. Some would argue that's only two brands to take into consideration, but the fact is these two are the current flag-bearers of the mobile industry, the top two smartphone makers in the world. And as long as they, and others like them, are
While a number of these brands have taken to this approach, it is undeniable that there are other factors that have led to the success of this sales channel. The first is the growing Internet penetration. India's Internet penetration has grown to 300 million+ and is on the rise all the time. Although ecommerce is said to account for only about 1% of total retail sales, this 1% accounted for sales worth $5.3 billion. It is a given that as this online-only strategy by smartphone brands takes shape, these figures will see a surge in sales. The growing penetration of the Internet is allowing e-commerce brands to reach a critical mass of potential customers and there is no doubt that in time, as more and more mobile brands opt for an onlineonly strategy, e-tailing would begin to rival traditional sales channels. Perhaps not immediately, but definitely!
About the author
Suresh Sharma is the Founder and Director of iSpyPrice.com. iSpyPrice is an online price comparison platform that assists its customers in finding the lowest price of products available for sale on various ecommerce websites.
May 2015 23
STAY TUNED
UrbanClap - the simplest way to hire the best services launched its app UrbanClap –India's largest services marketplace, which helps you find the right service professionals for activities important to you, is now available on the app. Whether you are looking to decorate your home, get candid pictures of your wedding, or get your doorbell repaired, UrbanClap is the destination for your service needs. And you can now hire a service straight from your smartphone. UrbanClap is aiming to provide an even more seamless experience to its user base with this move. Users can share their requirements by answering a few simple questions, and in a couple of hours they will receive quotes from verified professionals who are ready to work for them. Compare past work and reviews, and call the ones you like the most. UrbanClap aspires to make hiring a
service professional as easy and straightforward as e-commerce companies have made buying products. Announcing the new app, Varun Khaitan, Co-Founder of UrbanClap commented – “We're bringing the power of mobile technology to help customers find the best local service providers. In just a week after the launch of the UrbanClap app, we have seen a three-fold jump in the number of requests we receive daily. Over 4500 people in Delhi-NCR have already downloaded the app, whose intuitive interface makes submitting one's request a breeze.” Currently, UrbanClap operates in Delhi NCR, and is coming soon to Bangalore and Mumbai. The app is free and available for both iOS and Android smartphones.
WhatsApp will help you find your Now, book general category rail tickets via app Towed Vehicle in New Delhi Rail commuters can now use a mobile phone app to obtain tickets in the unreserved or general category as the Indian Railways takes forward its initiative for paperless ticketing. The app, named UTS, is an Indian Railways official mobile ticketing application, which allows the daily suburban train travelers of Chennai and Mumbai suburban area to book unreserved tickets of Indian Railways using their smartphone. The app is available for Android and Windows phone. BlackBerry version of the app will be available soon. After downloading the app, users will get a registration ID number for creation of a railway e-wallet. Money for buying tickets can be loaded through the e-wallet mobile payment system either online or at a ticket counter at any station.
The Delhi Traffic Police has started a new facility for vehicle owners to find their towed vehicle, using WhatsApp, the most commonly installed app on a smartphone. All you need to do is send a message to the number 8750871493 and they will reply back with the status, a phone number and the location of the car.
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Passengers have the option of topping up the e-wallet at ticket counters or on the IRCTC website using a credit or debit card, the official said. Besides booking tickets, one can even renew season tickets using the app, which the official said will be a great help for commuters in the unreserved ticketing segment. The app-based ticketing system was tried out in the Mumbai suburban sector on a pilot basis.
STAY TUNED
‘Inbox Insight’ app released for Zoho Mail Zoho has launched Inbox Insight, a minimalist mobile app for Zoho Mail that works like a search engine for the inbox. Inbox Insight fetches and displays only relevant messages based on user search queries, rather than bring in a barrage of emails and then sort them, as mobile apps do today. The app is free and available for both iOS and Android smartphones. “When it comes to email, the way each person uses it is different. Traditional email apps may not always meet users' needs,” said Raju Vegesna, Zoho evangelist. “Inbox Insight is an alternative take on mobile email client. When users know what they are looking for, the app is a great way to quickly and easily get to it. It can also be used alongside the traditional Zoho Mail mobile app.” Inbox Insight Highlights • Faster retrieval – Inbox Insight presents a simple search box. Users
Facebook Messenger gets video calling to take on Skype, FaceTime and Google Hangouts Facebook messenger gets free video calling as the company is taking steps to transform the mobile messaging service into a full featured platform. Facebook Messenger, with more than 600 million users, now has a video icon at the top right corner of its screen. By improving the messaging service, Facebook is trying to curb in users similar to the 1.4 billion user network on its website. Earlier this year, Messenger launched voice and video calling between computers. Messenger competes with Microsoft Corp's Skype, Apple Inc's FaceTime, Google Inc's Hangouts, all of which allow video calls between mobile devices or computers. Video calling is available on devices using Apple's iOS and Google's Android mobile operating systems in Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, France, Greece, Ireland, Laos, Lithuania, Mexico, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Poland, Portugal, the United Kingdom, the United States and Uruguay. Facebook said additional regions will be added in the next few months.
specify criteria, like sender name, subject, attachments, or a date range. Inbox Insight whips out only relevant emails from the server. • Saved searches – Users can save searches and enable push notifications, so they get notified when new emails match their search. Saved searches are also available when users get back on their web browsers. • Quick sorting – Messages can be sorted quickly by simply swiping left to flag, label, archive or delete. • Learning algorithms – With every use, Inbox Insight learns more about the user and offers suggestions that make searches even faster. Inbox Insight works with Zoho Mail, the company's business-focused email application that combines a clean, ad-free interface with powerful features geared for professional users. Zoho Mail is free for up to 25 mailboxes.
Hungama Digital launched ‘Sanjeev Kapoor’s Recipes’ app Sanjeev Kapoor, the pioneer of Indian cooking shows launched an app containing his special recipes along with delectable delights. The app named 'Sanjeev Kapoor's Recipes', features cuisines from India and the world. With a bundle of exciting recipes, cuisines & categories to awaken your inner chef, the app is sure to make everyone a hit in the kitchen. It is a complete cookery manual that goes everywhere with you to help you in the kitchen. The app includes exciting features like 'Shopping List', 'In Your Fridge', 'My Khana', 'Recipe Box' and many more. With the 'SanjeevKapoor's Recipes' app, users can access detailed recipes with pictures, special notes by Sanjeev Kapoor himself and some innovative new features. Users can also learn more about Sanjeev Kapoor in the 'About Chef' section of the app; they can locate the nearest Sanjeev Kapoor restaurant with the 'Restaurant Locator' feature. The 'How to Use' and 'FAQs' sections contain a plethora of information and tips regarding the exciting features of the app. The app also carries a gamification feature; users receive points on the recipes submitted. Users can view the top scores on the 'Leaderboard'. This free app is available across Android, iOS and Windows platforms.
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APPY TO HELP
How many times have you had a medical question, but you either can't get an appointment with your doctor, or you don't have a doctor at all? Here, enters HealthcareMagic's “Ask a Doctor” mobile app, which gives you quick and easy access to doctors anytime, anywhere. At any time of the day, more than 100 doctors are online – ready to answer your healthrelated questions. With a network of more than 15,000 doctors from more than 50 specialties, this is one outstanding app. This app is your very own instant consultation clinic, which you can access 24x7. Some of the highlights of the app include specialists in more than 50 areas including alternative medicine, the ability to ask for follow-ups until you get satisfied, the ability to upload images or lab reports, and the fact it is used by some of the biggest organizations such as Airbus, BMW, Lenovo, SAP, Vodafone and many more across the globe. The app has been designed to be incredibly simple and fast to use. Being a first time user, you are required to create a profile on the app. After that, the app allows you to ask your health query within 160 characters. There is also an option to attach lab reports and picture, for example, snap a picture of skin issue and upload it along with a question. You will get an answer to your query within a few minutes, almost
instantly, all thanks to the extensive network of more than 15,000 doctors spread across geographies and time zones. The app is free to download and from there you pay to use the services. But you have the option to try the service for free. The app allows you to ask two free questions to a general physician. The answers are primarily basic until you connect with a specialist, sharing detailed history of your medical illness. So, the answers to first two free questions are generic and a subscription is almost a mandate for getting a proper diagnosis. To sum up, any time you have a health question, Ask a Doctor app is ready to help! Available on: Price: FREE (offers in-app purchases)
Read-Try-Experience Contest Winner Manas Aggarwal Software Engineer, Accenture Services Pvt. Ltd., Gurgaon HATS OFF Guys. Apps Unveiled is doing a tremendous job in getting me out from the huge crowd of android apps available on Play Store. I am following this magazine for more than a year now and using lots of apps suggested by it. I am impressed not only with the huge availability of information, but also with the variety. Especially in their last issue, apps like Moxtra and Flock proved very useful for me. I was not aware about these apps before, even as a software engineer. Also, I am fond of music and Cross DJ Free app changed my passion for music on mobile. Shadow Fight 2 game is a great time pass and their warning worked for me, now I am addicted to this game :) Must say GREAT WORK guys!
26 May 2015