DT February Issue

12: INTERVIEW

“Our Roadmap in 2019 Consists Of Establishing Centers Of Excellence In A Number Of New Technologies” Asoke K Laha, President & CEO, Interra Information Technologies

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06: COVER STORY How Budget 2019 to Benefit IT ?

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Editorial & Marketing Off ice

09: REALLY HOT Rapoo V29PRO Optical Gaming Mouse

11: PRODUCT FOCUS Portronics Introduces “My Buddy Hexa” Portable Laptop Stand

13: INTERVIEW “Yaantra’s Vision Is Committed To Brace Indians For The Digital Revolution”

JAYANT JHA CO-FOUNDER & CEO, YAANTRA

14: INDUSTRY NEWS Astrum Performed Bhumi Puja for its Production Facility at Tirupati

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20: TELECOM TODAY OPPO Introduces Its Latest K1 Smartphone with 25 MP Front Camera

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COVER STORY

How Budget 2019 to Benefit IT ?

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The interim budget announced by Mr. Piyush Goyal, (Temporary Handling Finance Ministry, in absence of Mr. Arun Jaitley) made some big announcements which was criticized by opponents as election agenda. But there is no doubt, he played very cleverly by making some big perks to middle class, labour class and farmers. The major announcements were rebate in income tax upto 5 Lakh, some initiatives for farmers and labour class, reductions in the interest on loans, advancement of real state and most importantly making 1, 00, 000 digital villages and setting up the national centre for Artificial Intelligence. Eventually we can say that the budget has slightly fulfilled the demands of everybody in some context. The ICT industry has come up with the reactions on the overall budget presented by Minister in charge, and here we have compiled all key reactions of big IT leaders. Please see the insights below:

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“THIS UNION BUDGET REFLECTS THE GOVERNMENT’S COMMITMENT TO DIGITALISATION” Vishal Parekh, Marketing Director, Kingston Technology “This Union Budget reflects the Government’s commitment to digitalisation as a right step to help India gain a rightful place on the global technology map. Being one of the leading manufacturers of storage & memory solutions, we believe this initiative of extending a strong digital infrastructure to villages will facilitate significant penetration of computing-capable devices, hence further fuelling the growth of Data centres, internet-of-things and profitability of businesses. The Government has also envisaged a national programme on ‘Artificial Intelligence’ which is a progressive step towards leveraging technologies in every sector of economy impacting the life of all citizens. As Kingston has already contributed towards enhancing the productivity of businesses, we are also looking forward to encouraging the Government’s vision of building an exceptional digital infrastructure for our nation till 2030. We see a great potential in the aim of achieving country’s growth by leveraging digital technologies as it will further encourage innumerable initiatives to promote digital literacy in the country, and millions of opportunities in this eco-system.”

“WE APPRECIATE THE GOVERNMENT’S BUDGET FOCUS ON EMPOWERING THE MIDDLE CLASS AND THE RURAL POPULATION” Sumeer Chandra, Managing Director, HP Inc. India “The focus on leveraging emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence to enable a positive impact on the lives of people is an encouraging step. Further, the expansion of rural industrialization using digital technologies, development of clusters encompassing the MSMEs, village industries and start-ups, will boost rural manufacturing, job creation and strengthen the overall economy. We appreciate the government’s budget focus on empowering the middle class and the rural population.

Initiatives such as monetary support for farmers and higher exemption limit in personal income tax slab would provide higher disposable income, thereby, leading to higher spending. I believe, this will lead to consumption growth, giving impetus to overall economy.”

“MR. PIYUSH GOEL ANNOUNCED 9 TOP DIMENSIONS TO THIS BUDGET AND MAKE IN INDIA AND DIGITAL INDIA WERE CENTRAL TO IT”

Rajiv Bhalla, Managing Director, Barco India “We laud the budget presented

by Mr Piyush Goel today and believe it is a populist budget overall. Mr Piyush Goel announced 9 top dimensions to this budget and Make in India and Digital India were central to it. Expanding rural industrialisation using modern digital technologies to generate massive employment is the Fourth Dimension of the vision. This will be built upon the Make in India approach to developing grass-roots level clusters, structures and mechanisms encompassing the MSMEs, village industries and start-ups spread in every nook and corner of the country. India is now on the way to becoming a global manufacturing hub in various sectors including automobiles and electronics, defence and medical devices. At Barco, we believe, building an ecosystem to spur local manufacturing is key for India’s success and a steadily growing economy. Not only does it amplify job opportunities, but also gives a competitive edge to build products and solutions “In India, For India.” This will allow companies like us to build quality products in the country, and focus on helping drive better outcomes for our customers. This will also help local manufacturers negate a price-focused strategy rather than a quality focused strategy.”

“WE WERE HOPING FOR A SOLUTION FOR THE CURRENT CREDIT ISSUE TROUBLING MSMES” Nikhil Arora, Managing Director and Vice President, GoDaddy India “We welcome the Union Interim budget 2019-20 and the government’s focus towards helping small businesses, startups and women-owned MSMEs. With impetus on strengthening the digital infrastructure, e-marketplace, initiatives supporting rural India and emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, government has reiterated its commitment to bring a holistic and sustainable technologyled development for the country. Moves to allow tax payers with income upto Rs. 5 lakh to get full tax rebate and abolish custom duty from 36 capital good are consumer friendly steps that will help put the money back in the consumers’ pocket and encourage ease of doing business. In this year’s budget, we were hoping for a solution for the current credit issue troubling MSMEs. But at the same time, we are positive about the India government’s push towards digitally transforming the nation, and will continue working with our partners to ensure we play our part in realizing this vision, providing right tools and solutions to enable small and independent businesses to get their ventures online and grow successfully.”

“THIS IS A BUDGET THAT HAS

SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE, BUT MORE PARTICULARLY THE MIDDLE CLASS” Anil Valluri, President, India & SAARC Operations, NetApp “The Government, in its Budget 2019 today has articulated a compelling vision for India, both for the medium and long term. It has provided direction, and a finite and ambitious goal for India, of becoming a USD 10 trillion economy by 2030. I look forward to the details and to the Government marking progress against it.

For the short term, this is a budget that has something for everyone, but more particularly the middle class, the agricultural community and marginalized sections of society. The sense of inclusion, financial as well as welfare is welcome and much needed to build the force for a stronger nation that can march towards what I call Vision 2030.”

“THE CONCEPT OF DIGITAL VILLAGES AND RURAL INDUSTRIALISATION OPENS UP GREAT AVENUES FOR COMPANIES & START-UPS” Neel Juriasingani, Co-Founder & CEO, DataCultr “Startups and the industry can take clues out of the various topics touched upon in this budget, to understand the direction and focus.

Startups will have an integral role to play towards Vision 2030, it’s a great opportunity.

The concept of Digital villages and rural industrialisation opens up great avenues for companies & start-ups like us in the IOT & AI space, as well as for those working on building digital infrastructure of a connected India”

“WE HAVE TO WAIT AND WATCH HOW THIS BUDGET ULTIMATELY IMPACTS THE COUNTRY” Kushal Nahata, CEO & Co-founder, FarEye “We have to wait and watch how this budget ultimately impacts the country. It was a great move by the Customs authorities to introduce comprehensive digitalisation of export and import transactions. Using RFID to enhance export logistics was a much-needed initiative. This will ensure seamless movement of goods, drastically improve visibility and reduce transportation costs. Digitizing core logistics processes is a key when it comes to building a sustainable supply chain. Developing 27 kilometres of highways every day is a great feat to achieve. It will surely enable faster longhaul deliveries and will reduce the burden on existing roadways. The aim to digitize one lakh villages and speed up road development in rural areas will go a long way when it comes to

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driving financial inclusion and expanding and monitoring logistics activities. Abolishment of duties on 36 capital goods and single point of approval under section 65 of the Customs Act will definitely help manufacturers.”

“WE ARE GLAD TO FIND OUT THE GOVERNMENT’S PLANS OF DEVELOPING A NATIONAL ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE PORTAL” Arun Balasubramian, Managing Director, Qlik India “The interim budget, the government has rightly comprehended the necessity and competence of digital technologies such as AI, machine learning, big data and more. We are glad to find out the government’s plans of developing a National Artificial Intelligence portal, which will significantly boost research and development measures and thus allow businesses of all sizes and sectors to gain better data-driven and decision-making insights and advance the nation in competitive global space.”

“WE BELIEVE THAT THE NEXT CRUCIAL STEP WILL BE ADDRESSING CYBERSECURITY CONCERNS” Rahul Kumar, Country Manager India and SAARC, F-Secure “Leading the world in mobile data consumption is a big milestone for India and promises a great opportunity for development.

The lower rates of 4G data are pushing the opportunities for digital growth, even in the hinterlands of India. We believe that the next crucial step will be addressing cybersecurity concerns, as a number for first-time users; and users with a lack of nuanced understanding of cybersecurity are expected to on-board the digital bandwagon. Hence, educating the new internet users about data privacy and online safety should be highly prioritized. As the world moves towards digitization and IoT connected devices, personal data is the most vulnerable commodity and must be carefully safeguarded.”

“THE INCLINATION OF IP SURVEILLANCE INDUSTRY TOWARDS THE AI TECHNOLOGY IS EXPECTED TO FURTHER BOOST WITH THE ESTABLISHMENT OF NATIONAL AI PORTAL” Sanjeev Gulati, Country Director India and SAARC, VIVOTEK “The inclination of IP surveillance industry towards the AI technology is expected to further boost with the establishment of National

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Artificial Intelligence Portal. Not only this, the ongoing smart surveillance projects in railways is another positive development as Indian railways have been allocated a lion’s share in this year’s budget. India, on the other hand, is also fast-developing its highways with a prime focus on rural roads. Smart surveillance can tangibly increase the efficiency of authorities on keeping a track of such projects which will later also ensure safe and secure traffic management.”

“BUDGET 2019 LOOKS REALLY OPTIMISTIC” Yogesh Bhatia, MD, Detel “Budget 2019 looks really optimistic. With GOI, taking major step towards Digital Villages, it opens new opportunities for the Consumer Electronic brand especially in TV segment. This rejig will increase the TV penetration in Rural India, hence strengthening our focus of “HAR GHAR TV” under #connecting40croreindians”

“THE FOCUS ON THE DIGITISATION WILL GO A LONG WAY IN IMPROVING THE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC FABRIC OF THE COUNTRY” Prashanth G J, CEO, TechnoBind “The one thing that stood out in the Budget is the putting up of the Vision 2030. While there are no details available as yet in terms of the implementation of this vision the fact that the government is thinking long term is well appreciated. The focus on the Digitisation will go a long way in improving the social and economic fabric of the country - be it creation of jobs, uplifting the lower end of the society reducing the income gap and many more. The announcing of the 5 Lakh Digital Villages is really welcome. It will go a long way to leverage the benefits of technology right up to the grass root level. Especially in a country like India which has always been challenged from a penetration of technology this will be a big boost. Also, another good thing that we got from today’s budget is Income Tax returns being processed within 24 hours. While one needs to wait and watch in terms of the practicality of this but it’s a welcome move in the right direction. Overall a pretty good budget!!”

“GOOD TO SEE FM RECOGNIZING AND REWARDING HONEST TAX PAYING MIDDLE CLASS CITIZENS WITH TAX EXEMPTION” Krishna Raj Sharma, Director & CEO, iValue InfoSolutions “Despite being an election year, it’s good to

see Government allocating money where its required - farmers, middle class families, pension scheme for unorganized sector, more allocation to health, education and defense.

Despite missing out on Fiscal deficit target for current as well as next fiscal, the FM took rating agency and investors in to confidence by explaining the need for supporting farmers which was well received as seen by the market reaction. With GDP growth being upgraded, 0.1% to 0.2% slip of Fiscal deficit should be manageable. Good to see FM recognizing and rewarding honest tax paying middle class citizens with tax exemption up to 5L salary along with higher TDS. Overall good interim budget sending the right signals.”

“VISION OF CREATING 1 LAC DIGITAL VILLAGES WILL EMPOWER THE REAL INDIA AND FUEL OVERALL GROWTH IN THE ECONOMY” Ashwin Bhandari, CEO, iVOOMi Focus on digital India in the budget, vision of creating 1 lac digital villages will empower the real India and fuel overall growth in the economy and will bring comprehensive growth for the industries. Declaration on schemes for incentives for SMEs and start-ups is a welcome move, to enable small businesses that in turn will support services to different businesses, this should promote smaller manufacturers too to build on the ecosystem. Boost in the direct tax collections, enabling bigger capital expenditures (declared in budget), incentives to farmer, basic tax slab raised to 5 lac - are noticeable moves towards economic growth that will fuel the industrial growth in midterm.”

“WE AT THE IET ARE PARTICULARLY HAPPY AS WE ARE ALIGNED WITH GOVERNMENT’S FOCUS ON NEW TECHNOLOGIES” Shekhar Sanyal, Director and Country Head, IET “The interim budget 2019 with its focus on the futuristic technology-Artificial Intelligence is a heartening news. We are at the cusp of technological disruption, a national program with the portal on Artificial Intelligence will bring India on the global map and help build an ecosystem to fuel its ambition to become a world leader in AI in the coming years. We at The IET are particularly happy as we are aligned with government’s focus on new technologies and will extend our full support through continuous efforts from The IET IoT Panel.”

Konica Minolta Colour Multifunction Printer Konica Minolta Business Solutions has announced the launch of its latest innovative offering, the bizhub C759/ C659. A colour multifunction printer (MFP) equipped with state-of-the-art features and functionality, the bizhub C759/C659 has been designed to deliver best-in-class performance with its remarkable colour print quality and high print speed of upto 75 pages per minute.

The bizhub C759/C659 comes equipped with an improved 10.1 inch electrostatic multi-touch operation panel to enable better operability and security. It has a large capacity, high-speed automatic document feeder (speed-240 ipm).The bizhub C759/C659 also cuts down the start-up time by up to 13.5 seconds as compared to the previous model, while its FCOT (first copy output time) value of C759/C659 offers ease of use through its info palette design for seamless MFP operation from PCs, tablets and smartphones for a consistent user experience.

Rapoo V29PRO Optical Gaming Mouse Rapoo announces the launch of its latest Optical Gaming Mouse V29PRO of resolution of up to 8000 DPI with Maximum tracking speed of 100(inch/s) and Maximum Acceleration of 20 (G). The mouse is neither heavy nor bulky at just 102 gms. With Left and right button switches, rated up to 20 million clicks whereas middle and DPI button rated up to 3 million clicks followed by side button 1 million clicks. The Mouse switches brings exceptional click feel, response and consistency. The mouse also offers radiant 360-degree RGB light ring with effects and it is workable in system like Windows® XP/Vista/7/8/ to match for an immersive gaming experience. The V29 PRO features an APM-lighting mode that reflects your actions per minute with a spectacular light show. The V29 Pro features 7 customizable native DPI settings that support up to 8000 DPI, which can be set to a gamer’s individual style or preference.

REALLY HOT

DIGISOL Wireless DG-VG2300N Router

DIGISOL Systems Ltd. extends its range of Wireless VDSL routers by introducing DG-VG2300N router that complies with IEEE 802.11n to provide a faster and secure data transfer. With 300 Mbps Wireless speed over the 2.4GHz band, the DG-VG2300N is the perfect choice for users in search of seamless HD video streaming, online gaming and other network tasks. DG-VG2300N VDSL Router Comes with the Latest ITU-T G.993.2 VDSL2 standard, providing up to 100 Mbps Speed downstream and upstream, and backward compatibility with ADSL. The device will have you covered in terms of network security, offering the highest levels of wireless security to ensure your safety and privacy. Its Easy Setup Assistant enables one to get quick & hassle free installation. The DG-VG2300N wireless VDSL router is priced at Rs. 1999/- and will be available in the leading retail and online stores.

Zebronics 80 cms Curved LED TV

Ambrane WH-5600 Wireless Headphone Ambrane India extends its wireless category by launching ‘WH – 5600’ Wireless Headphones. A stylish headphone with a complete package of wireless comfort and advanced high-end chipset boasting sound to a new level of listening experience.

With robust design and leather covered headband’s appealing guise, the headphones go a step ahead to enhance your style quotient. The headphone houses an enhanced digital amplifier that cancels every other ambient noise promising the highly redefined acoustic experience. The WH-5600 delivers cinematic surround sound to immerse you in whatever you’re watching or listening to. The headphone comes with Fast Charging feature, which only takes up to 90 minutes for a full charge and offers superior listening expertise for long hours up to 8 hours; thanks to the 250 mAh battery.

With its latest version of Bluetooth integrated into WH-5600, play music from any corner of the room, of about 10 meters of range.

Zebronics India Pvt. Ltd has launched its premium 80 cms curved LED dubbed ZEB-AC32FHD LED monitor. The ZEB-AC32FHD LED comes in a sleek yet minimalistic design with a curved edge making the viewing truly stunning. The monitor comes equipped with input options like DisplayPort and HDMI. Watch the colors come alive with deeper blacks, whiter brights and rich colors. It has 500000:1 dynamic contrast ratio with 178 degree viewing angle and a curved screen for a constant viewing distance. It also has an ultra slim bezel and a thin profile in reducing the distraction while you enjoy the immersive experience. The LED monitor comes with buttons on the back for menu, back, up/down and on/off switch.

It also has a DC input along with input for headphone Jack, DP & HDMI port. Keeping the style factor intact this monitor comes in a glossy panel and an ultra slim bezel and is wall mountable too.

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REALLY HOT

CORSAIR DOMINATOR PLATINUM RGB DDR4 Memory

Epson New Range of EcoTank Printers

CORSAIR announced the launch of DOMINATOR PLATINUM RGB DDR4 Memory, raising the bar once again for premium, world-class DRAM. DOMINATOR PLATINUM RGB delivers the high performance that custom PC enthusiasts demand for their cuttingedge systems, while renewing the celebrated and iconic design of DOMINATOR PLATINUM. A fully updated aluminum heatspreader, handsorted memory chips, frequencies up to a record-setting 4,800MHz, and individually addressable RGB lighting - a first for a DOMINATOR PLATINUM module - combine to create DDR4 memory that’s in a class of its own. Each module of DOMINATOR PLATINUM RGB represents the pinnacle of premium craftsmanship, starting with a custom 10-layer PCB that guarantees signal quality and stability. Every memory chip is hand-sorted and tightly screened to ensure tight response times and high-frequency performance, with kits available from 3,000MHz to an incredible 4,800MHz, with ample headroom for overclocking.

Epson announced the launch of three new monochrome EcoTank printers.

These new EcoTank printers extend Epson’s hugely successful InkTank printer range to over 26 models.

The new models M1100, M1120 and M2140 are targeted at the office printing market and come equipped with a host of features that are likely to tempt mono laser printer users to shift to Epson’s EcoTank printers. The new models are specifically designed to lower business printing costs when compared to mono laser printers. With an ultra-low printing cost of 12 paise per print, the new Epson EcoTank M series printers make printing 23 times lower as compared to mono laser printers, which cost Rs. 2.74 per print with original toners. Over the life of the printer this translates into very significant savings for any organization. The new printers have an integrated ink tank that enables spill and error-free ink refilling, and allows users to enjoy laser-quality text that is smudge-proof and water-resistant with pigment black ink.

The printers are compact and can be accommodated in a small office space seamlessly.

boAt 211 Portable True Wireless Earbuds boAt lifestyle introduced their latest offering Airdopes 211 portable True Wireless Earbuds in the True Wireless category after the success of FreesoulZ 511 to target the youthful consumer base. The product offers premium HD sound powered by 8mm drivers that gently leads you down the road of Nirvana.

Airdopes 211 have a sleek comfort oriented design that is meant for today’s millennial generation who demand style and sound at affordable price points. boAt Airdopes 211 is powered by Bluetooth V4.1 which offer stable connectivity along with a clear stereo sound. Convenience is on hand with the 450 mAh stylish charging case that easily charges the earphones 3-4 times over which means you can use them for a total of 10- 14 hours while each earbud works for 2.5 hours on a single charge. The Airdopes 211 are IPX 4 sweat and waterproof. The product boAt Airdopes 211 is available at an introductory price of Rs. 2499. The product carry’s a 1 year warranty.

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F&D Party BOOSTER “W40” Portable Bluetooth Speaker

F&D announces a series of Party Speakers the first being “W40” Portable Bluetooth speaker. With excellent bass and flashing lights, the high-powered sound, sets the scene for the club night. The loud and proud sound promises to lasts long enough to let you party all night. Its glossy front panel and the ultra slim profile, packs the enough Oomph to the unadulterated Music experience. Take it to a party and feel the night come alive, with built-in colour changing RGB LED Light Band and a flashing strobe, see and hear the beat. The 40Watts output in very compact size, brings alive 360-degree sound field experience. The 2.5inch full range driver with Mega Bass, brings thundering low frequencies, while the F&D sound Technology, adds rich detail for high quality sound in every track. Guaranteeing long playtime with 1800mAh Li-ion battery, and 20m range the connectivity options include Micro SD card/TF and AUX cable. Its high-quality Bluetooth also supports the TWS function.

PRODUCT FOCUS

iBall Launches ‘iBall CompBook Netizen – ACPC’ Priced at Rs 19,999/-

Portronics Introduces “My Buddy Hexa” Portable Laptop Stand

Portronics has added “My Buddy Hexa” to its existing range of laptop stands.

The brand has provided most ergonomically styled, strong and lightweight laptop stands and has set an industry standard over the last 5 years. Taking up to its stride, the company has launched - My Buddy Hexa that boasts of unmatched features like 7adjustable levels which can be set up as per the user’s convenience.

Scientifically Designed:

iBall brings another extension to its first timer products in India with Built-in 4G LTE connectivity ‘iBall CompBook Netizen – ACPC’ to carry out the business and professional chores effortlessly. iBall CompBook Netizen sports a 14-inch FHD IPS multi-touch display with 1920x1018 pixel resolution that is powered by an Intel N3350 dual-core processor with processing speed of upto 2.4GHz and 4GB DDR3 RAM. Enabling smooth multitasking and effortless productivity, it has the inbuilt storage upto 64GB, which is further expandable with MicroSD Card upto 128GB and a separate 7mm expansion slot that can be used for installing a hard disk or SSD. Speaking on the launch, Mr. Rajeev Chaudhari, VP - Sales for iBall, states that “iBall is steadfast on delivering innovation, striving to create devices, that aids with seamless digital life to our entire customer base. With iBall CompBook Netizen – ACPC, we believe professional chores will allow customers to experience a greater efficiency that too at never seen before prices.”

CompBook houses a 4G SIM card slot along with 5000mAh battery supporting longer hours of working with faster operation. The iBall CompBook Netizen runs on Windows 10 and comes with several connectivity options which include LAN, Bluetooth 4.0, and Wi-Fi in addition to being 4G capable. The laptop also has USB 3.0 port, HDMI port and two USB 2.0 ports.

Available in the shade of Metallic Grey, the product is exclusively available with Shopclues.com.

Being fan-less, it’s completely noiseless as it uses natural ventilation of your laptop. One of the best ventilation is the natural air ventilation that works with the laptop’s in-built fan to cool the laptop. Not only has it improved the lives of your laptop battery but also of the internal components like CPU and motherboard. Longer battery life is also caused by less battery charging cycles required.

Improves Your Health & Productivity: By improving your working posture on the desk and reducing strain on your neck by having right screen viewing angle, you can work longer and without any neck or back pain. Also, your fingers and wrists too get optimum 7 adjustable angles when typing on the keyboard which also reduces the fatigue.

Construction Quality: Along with being Portable My Buddy Hexa has strong built ABS plastic body. It can easily carry any laptop from 13 inches to 15 inches including Macbooks and tablets. It has anti-slip rubber pads to hold the laptop firm and even rubberized feet to ensure that it does not skid from even the glass surfaces.

Portable Easy to Carry: The 7-level adjustable flap when folded down, conveniently and easily makes the body of My Buddy Hexa completely flat allowing it to easily slide into your laptop bag and taken out easily whenever and wherever needed. Its sleek dimensions of 28x25x1.5 cm and approximately ½ Kg of weight makes it very lightweight and portable.

Pricing and Availability: My Buddy Hexa is available at an affordable price-point of INR 699/from online and offline stores.

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INTERVIEW

“Our Roadmap in 2019 Consists Of Establishing Centers Of Excellence In A Number Of New Technologies�

Asoke K Laha, President & CEO, Interra Information Technologies

Indian ICT industry is a very extensive industry growing at good pace.

There are a lot of brands who are putting all their efforts to gain momentum to achieve growth as competition has increasing many fold. To discuss it further, DT spoke with Mr. Asoke K Laha, President & CEO, Interra Information Technologies.

He spoke over their overall performance through last calendar year and their strategies for the coming years.

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DT: How has been the year 2018 for you?

Mr. Asoke: Overall performance of 2018 is in sync. with our business plan. 2018 is a year of transformation. Business model has changed significantly.

The customer requirements have changed from pure outsourcing model to solution provider and consulting mode. The software development methodology is agile as compared to classic waterfall model. New technologies e.g. Analytics, Cloud Computing, UX, Mobility, Artificial intelligence are in demand. The demands for old technologies like maintenance of Legacy software, Java programming have reduced significantly. We anticipated the change in this business model at the beginning of 2018, and transformed ourselves accordingly.

DT: Please brief about your channel ecosystem in India. How are you currently working with your partners to strengthen your market position?

Mr. Asoke: 95% of our revenue comes from US customers, where we have dedicated sales team. We are exploring different channel partners in India for our domestic business.

I expect that domestic business will grow significantly in 2019.

DT: What is your overall roadmap to escalate your growth further in CY 2019? On what products/solutions you will be focusing in 2019?

Mr. Asoke: Our Roadmap in 2019 consists of establishing Centers of Excellence in a number of new technologies, That includes significant investment in manpower and training.

Mastering the new technologies, as I outlined in Section (1) will enable us to significant growth.

Our primary focus will be Analytics and Artificial Intelligence. At the same time, we will not abandon legacy software and old technologies.

There will be significant business opportunities in old technologies for at least next five to ten years.

DT: What are your suggestions/advise to policy makers to counter any existing business challenges in ICT market?

Mr. Asoke: Unless ICT companies transform themselves to the adoption of new technologies, they will be extinct. A significant percentage of the present IT personnel are and will be unemployable. On the other hand, there is a huge shortage of IT personnel experts in new technologies. The policy makers can provide training facilities to create pool of IT Professionals proficient in new technologies.

The policy makers can also provide incentives in form of tax credit and financial benefits, to those corporations who are investing their own money to train employees in the new technologies.

INTERVIEW

“Yaantra’s Vision Is Committed To Brace Indians For The Digital Revolution”

JAYANT JHA

CO-FOUNDER & CEO, YAANTRA

DT: What kind of services you offer with the refurbished phones to your customer?

Mr. Jayant: Delivering on our ‘as good as new’ operating philosophy, Yaantra gives the power of a trusted choice, complete peace of mind with no compromise on quality for the consumer with absolute standardization of doorstep services. Refurbished smartphones are the results of rigorous 36-point quality checks and come with 6-12 months doorstep warranty, like their OEM (new) counterparts. And all this is complemented by an ISO Certified refurbishment facility. Yaantra has been phenomenal in its ‘re-commerce’ concept. The sudden rise in demand for smartphones and simultaneously the drastic increase in ‘e-waste’ have to be fulfilled & resolved.

DT: How do you see the coming opportunities in this domain?

Mr. Jayant: The Indian smartphone market is one of the biggest markets for mobile phone manufacturing companies. Disruptions led by several telcos and OEMs have led to unprecedented demand for smartphones.

The recent TRAI report says that there are over 800 million mobile phone users out of which there are just 350 million smartphone users. Which means that over 450 million people in India are still using basic phones making them a potential upgrades to smartphones. There is a growing opportunity in the bottom-of-the-pyramid combined with an increasing demand for refurbished or second-hand smartphones. It completely satisfies the aspirational desires of the emerging middle-class which has created favorable tailwinds for the growth of the refurb market.

DT: What challenges do you face in operating this business?

Mr. Jayant: The most important challenge is the lack of awareness

India is one of the biggest market for smartphones players. All major brands are focused on taping this huge opportunity.

But grabbing best quality phone at an affordable price could be major challenge for majority of customers in India. Even getting best service support for any issue post warranty remains key challenge for consumers. These factors have helped refurbished phone market to grow and we have seen consumers are considering these options as well. To know more about this market, DT further spoke with Jayant Jha, Co-founder & CEO, Yaantra, one of the leading player of refurbished phones. He spoke about the current market scenario and their support to customers while buying refurbished phones. amongst masses for the refurbished products. The term ‘refurbished’ is more often linked to a degraded & unworthy product. People in general have a misconception that all refurbs are used or second-hand.

Refurbished not necessarily mean used ones, but they could be the products kept on display or used in demos and hence the package-box is opened. Once package is opened, it cannot be counted as brand new and hence has to be labelled as refurbished. Few consider refurbished goods are faulty products hastily pushed on to the next consumer. But in many cases refurbished smartphones are a great steal that cost much less and last nearly as long as their brand-new counterparts. The key to buying value-for-money refurbished smartphones is to know the right places where they are available.

DT: Please brief about your distribution network across India.

Mr. Jayant: Yaantra offers on demand doorstep repair services to consumers, SMBs, OEMS and sells refurbished smartphones. We have a team of 400+ certified technicians doing 36-point quality checks, servicing nearly 70,000 units per month. We have repair centers in 6 major cities including the 4 metros and 2 refurbish hubs in Delhi and Bengaluru. Today, we are present in 600+ cities through our retail network in the country across 14000+ pin codes with 35000+ registered retailers onboard and have reached out to over 6 Lac serviced customers and growing. With 1200+ new partners get aboard every month and 1500+ orders received daily; Yaantra is poised to make its mark globally.

We have an App and our own ecommerce website both for end consumers and channel partners separately. Our registered retailer can place order and manage the inventory by login to his account. Additionally, we are present across all major online sales channels.

I FEBRUARY 2019 I 13

INDUSTRY NEWS

Astrum Performed Bhumi Puja for its Production Facility at Tirupati

Astrum performed its Bhumi Puja (land breaking ceremony) for its new production facility at Tirupati (India) led by Shri Nara Lokesh, Minister of IT (Government of Andhra Pradesh) & Mr. Manoj Kumar Pansari, Chairman and Managing Director of Astrum, among several other dignitaries. Spread over 5.5 acres, the Manufacturing facility is envisaged as part of the states rive to create a new IT Hub. The Government of Andhra Pradesh signed MoU with Astrum in Last year.

In accordance with the MoU with the Andhra Pradesh government, Astrum will develop the facility with an investment of over Rs 100 crores. A skill development center with an Employment to approx. 2000 people will also be developed as part of the MoU. This is an initiative to bridge the employability divide between the metros and urban cities, it will also provide an eclectic range of employment opportunities to the youth in the region that will ultimately enhance the quality of life.

Canon Expands its Retail Footprint in India Through Inaugurating PIXMA Zone in Chennai

HyperX Sponsored ESL India Premiership’s Winter Season Ends Successfully Winter Season Finale of the HyperX sponsored ESL India Premiership, concluded at the India Gaming Show, Delhi from 3rd to 5th February.

As the Winter Season Finale progressed, the audience witnessed several high intensity matches between the top teams. HyperX had provided its top-notch gaming peripherals to the e-warriors for the best experience. Team Entity was victorious in Counter Strike Global Offensive whereas Team Signify won the final battle in DOTA 2 and Jin Kazama stood first in Clash Royale.

HyperX also awarded Trophies to select players from this tournament who showed ultimate efficiency and dedication to win. Vishal Parekh, Marketing Director, HyperX India said, “Our support for ESL India Premiership has remained un-waivered since its inception, mostly due to the strength that this platform has been, for Indian Gaming. There were some tough matches played today and this exhibits the increasing competitiveness in Indian eSports. We are happy that we could give our audience a chance to experience our new products across price points, before getting one for themselves. Seeing the warm response that HyperX has been getting here, we will continue encouraging more talent to participate and set a higher benchmark for India.”

Kaspersky Lab Talk Transparency, Online Security And Fraud Prevention at the ISODA Tech Summit

Mr. C Sukumaran, Director, Consumer System Products, Canon India, inaugurates first PIXMA Concept store in Chennai.

Canon India has launched its second PIXMA Zone. The newly inaugurated concept store is designed and conceptualized to showcase the entire range of Canon Inkjet technology and its features. The PIXMA Concept stores have been introduced by Canon India to familiarize consumers with the range of all inkjet printers, cartridges and photo media. The store was inaugurated in the presence of Mr. C Sukumaran, Director, Consumer System Products, Canon India. Backed by an exceptional sales support at the PIXMA Zone’s the organization aims to provide a personalized demo experience and one stop shop solution, to address the printing requirements of all its existing and potential customers. In Chennai, Canon India PIXMA Zone will be located at Oasis India Network Pvt. Ltd, Mount Road, AnnaSalai. Apart from consumer experience, the PIXMA Concept stores were designed to help the retailers understand and provide them with exclusive products schemes and offers, keeping pace with the latest technology.

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As the world fast tracks into the future that’s more and more digitized, the ISODA (Infotech Software Dealers Association) Tech Summit focused on what to expect and how to be prepared. The 9th edition of the highly successful summit was held in Doha, Qatar, from January 31 – February 3.

Kaspersky Lab made a splash with its incisive presentation on a wide array of topics of its expertise. The ISODA Tech Summit 2019 saw almost 100 participants from India, with a cumulative turnover of over INR 4,000 crore. This summit, comprising the top players from the Indian market, was a mélange of ideas. Representing Kaspersky Lab was Mr. Anand Shringi, Channel Head – Kaspersky Lab (South Asia).

He presented very interesting modules to the gathering, covering a wide area of interest. He opened with showcasing Kaspersky Lab’s varied Enterprise Portfolio that includes bestselling products in Endpoint Security, EDR, Hybrid Cloud Security, Anti APT solutions, Fraud Prevention and Training.

Mr. Shringi closed his segment with the announcement of the Kaspersky Lab Transparency Center.

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INDUSTRY NEWS

Gigabyte’s Gaming Brand AORUS Showcases The Latest Tactical Gaming Monitor at Indian Gaming Show

Indian Gaming Show, one of the biggest gaming festivals kicked off at Pragati Maidan on February 3rd. AORUS, as a premium gaming brand powered by GIGABYTE, unveils the world’s first tactical monitor, high-end AORUS PC with RTX 20-series GPU and Z390 AORUS board inside its booth. AORUS teamed up with 7Youtubersto hold a variety of engaging sessions such as VR, monitor experience, tournament sessions, and trending games on AORUS PC. Those visiting our booth will get to participate in the tournament and the one who wins all the rounds can take home the latest RTX2060 OC GPU and Z390 AORUS motherboard. With a total of SIX premium AORUS PCs placed together with popular gaming titles including CS:GO, Dota 2 and Rocket League.

During the 3 day event, DIY PC Youtubers such as Techdreams and Indian Budget Gamer will represent at AORUS booth game on AORUS PC and say hi to the fans.

Konica Minolta Brings Customer Support App and Portal for Extensive After-sales Service Konica Minolta Business Solutions launches a dedicated support portal for its customers. The launch is aimed at streamlining end-user support for Konica Minolta customers by enabling them to remain connected to the company’s panIndia service network of 1,000+ engineers – including 300+ Direct Customer Engineers and 700+ Partner Customer Engineers – round the clock. Once logged in, customers can access all the Konica Minolta machines tagged to them and raise new service requests, manage existing requests, or view previous service information. Furthermore, Konica Minolta has enabled a vertical access hierarchy to introduce greater accountability and more secure device management. Multiple users accessing the service portal from the same organisation can only view the machines that have been tagged to them. Customers can also raise a service performance request, allowing them to gain a better understanding of their machines performance and service requirements/timelines.

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Cobx Brings India’s Largest Multi-title International Esports Tournament: Cobx Masters

Cobx Gaming announced Cobx Masters, India’s Largest Multi-title International Esports Tournament to be held from 5th April to 7th April, 2019 at Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai. This is the second leg of the Cobx Masters announced earlier last year, the Phase I of which was successfully conducted during the summer of 2018 across 10 cities in India. The tournament will have a massive prize pool of approximately INR 1,40,00,000* (USD 200,000) which has been increased since its first announcement and will be split equally across two titles; Dota 2 and Counter Strike: Global Offensive. The structure of the tournament is given below. For each title, the tournament will have 6 teams participating in the main event. Out of these 6 teams, 2 will be invited international teams, 2 will be seeded from SEA Qualifiers and 2 from India Qualifiers.

HP Unveils Latex R Series Technology for Commercial Printing in India HP Inc. at Media Expo launched the HP Latex R Series, the first hybrid latex technology that merges HP’s flexible printing capabilities into rigid printing. The HP Latex R series brings high speed and quality to a wide range of rigid materials, such as foamboards, foam PVC, cardboard, fluted polypropylene, solid plastics, aluminum, wood and glass among others.

Unlike UV printing technology, which creates a thick layer of ink that completely covers the material, HP’s water-based Latex Inks preserve the look and feel while delivering odorless prints that are both safe for the environment and the customer. The water-based ink introduced also opens up a new line of creative ideas and design and gives the opportunity of mixing vibrant colors without damaging the look and feel of the material. The innovations introduced by HP in the Latex R series help in delivering a glossier and smoother image apart from decreasing the turnout time.

Western Digital Rewards Isha Enterprises for Excellent Performance in Purple Achievers Programme Western Digital rewarded one of its alliance partners, Isha Enterprises for achieving the highest position in the WD Purple Achievers Promotion for the period 1 Oct to 30 Dec 2018. Isha Enterprises is a supplier & system integration company based out of Pune dealing into various security & fire products. Rahul Mudha the owner of Isha Enterprises was handed over a Hyundai Santro car as the reward under this program.

The Purple Achievers promo was an incentive based programs in which the partners were assigned targets and there were rewards applicable on achievement. Anand Pandit, country manager –IT channel, Western Digital India, handed over the reward. “We always believe in motivating & encouraging our channel partners through these kind of promos & reward them for the loyalty they extend to our company. Isha Enterprises has always been one of our prestigious partners and we look forward to a great association with them. We congratulate them for winning this promo,” said Jaganathan Chelliah, director – marketing, Western Digital India.

CHANNEL BUZZ

ASUS Hosted Channel Partner Meet in Sri Lanka

ASUS hosted a channel partner meet in Sri Lanka at the exotic Anantara Resort in Kalutara. The lavish event witnessed the participation of more than 150 channel partners of ASUS along with their families, in addition to ASUS’ senior management. At the Channel Partner meet, ASUS unveiled the concept of “Together We Win” and emphasized on the virtues of collaboration and partnership in achieving the success one aspires to have. Boosting camaraderie and joy, the meet also hosted several activities.

The best performers at the meet were recognized by giving away exciting gifts like ASUS laptops across ranges.

Commenting on the partner meet, Mr. Arnold Su, Business Development Manager, ASUS India (PC & Gaming) said, “It has been an absolute delight hosting our esteemed channel partners in Sri Lanka. The meet has got the ASUS team and channel partners on the same page, and primed up to achieve the next growth phase in the country. India is a very important market, and together with our channel partners, we look forward to achieving the same.”

TechnoBind Ties up with Super Micro Computer for Distribution of its Server & Storage Solutions TechnoBind announced its tie up with Super Micro Computer, Inc. (SMCI). TechnoBind will be distributing the server & storage solutions of Supermicro’s products.

According to Research and Markets, Indian data center market is expected to reach values of approximately $4 billion by 2024. With legacy infrastructures and applications getting modernized across organizations of all sizes and scale, cities such as Mumbai, Bangalore, and Hyderabad are witnessing high investments from local as well as international operators. “With the government initiatives like smart & digital India, Internet of Things (IoT), 5G and Big Data will continue to expand, increasing the demand for better IT infrastructure solutions. Having said, in the coming years, we will witness more usage of AI, machine learning and cloud applications, by SMBS & large enterprises, eventually increasing the demand for better computation-intensive solutions in data centers,” said Prashanth G J, CEO at TechnoBind. “Our partnership with Supermicro will open new business opportunities in the areas of Big Data, AI and Enterprise IT Systems for our reseller partners. With our product portfolio resellers will be able to successfully address the rapidly evolving IT infrastructure demands.”

RP tech Care Center: Committed to Delight Customers with World Class Service Support

Value addition is the most critical factors for any successful business. It acts as an anchor to retain customers and build a successful business. RP tech India, country’s true value-added distributor is very big on value-added services to end users. RP tech Care Center (RCC), a service division of RP tech India is delighting customers with its best in class service support on a diverse range of IT and mobility products for the last 29 years. RP tech Care Center is equipped with chip level (L4) repairs to mobile repairs with 95% efficiency. It is well equipped for BGA level repairs and CPU socket replacements. RCC is also capable to service ROHS compliant IT Products with testing facility for all replacement warranty products.

Currently, RCC offers service support on over 25 leading IT and Mobile brands such as Asus, Toshiba, Plantronics, SanDisk, Dell, HP, Lenovo to name a few. Apart from repair and technical support, RCC also offers onsite support, AMC services and reverse and forward logistics support. The key differentiation of RCC is that all the 50 service centers are owned and managed by RP tech India. This huge service infrastructure operates on the robust SAP-ERP platform. RCC has also developed a mobile app to provide prompt updates about customers’ service status.

eScan Hosts Goa Incentive Trip for its Channel Partners eScan had launched a Silver Jubilee offer to reward its channel partners with 2 nights and 3 days trip to Goa. The offer was launched exclusively for Mumbai region and about 79 people from the region had been to the destination. The 2 Nights & 3 Days luxury outing to Goa was packed with tranquil sightseeing in South Goa, enjoying water sports on the beach, followed by a boat cruise in Mandovi River. Be that as it may, the highlighting feature of the outing was extravagant gala dinner at the Hotel Fern Kadamba. The whole excursion included stay at a luxury 5-star hotel, aside from visiting beaches and local shopping in Goa. Mr. RK Balu, General Manager, Channel Sales for India, eScan said, “Trips like these helps us to establish a closer bond with our partners and understand their needs. With a tremendous response and satisfied partners, we are planning towards more such attractive schemes and trips for our partners in the coming future.”

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ENTERPRISE NEWS

Avaya and Sestek to Bring Voice-enabled Smart Technologies to Avaya Platforms Sestek announced that it has become an Avaya DevConnect Technology Partner. Through direct R&D engagement, deep product integration, and strong support relationships, the Avaya DevConnect ecosystem delivers a wider range of technology options for Avaya users to drive their business forward and provide value to their customers, from ready-made solutions validated for interoperability to custom-tailored applications. By joining the Avaya DevConnect Program, the two companies will explore uses of Sestek’s advanced technologies with Avaya’s leading communications platforms. Sestek will develop enhanced applications for Avaya platforms to provide customers with end-to-end solutions that address the evolving business challenges posed by digital transformation. Avaya’s DevConnect Program is intended to drive expansion of the open and agile Avaya application ecosystem so that more fully formed solutions can be delivered through its platforms. The program is designed to deliver more customer-centric outcomes for technology buyers, who can be confident that they are gaining access to the most advanced and innovative technologies they need to deliver solutions across the business.

HCL Technologies and IBM Collaborate to Accelerate Clients’ Hybrid Cloud Journey HCL Technologies (HCL) announced a collaboration with IBM designed to help advance the hybrid cloud journeys of organizations worldwide. HCL announced new re-platforming and refactoring services to enable enterprises to build and migrate applications to IBM Cloud Private from within the company’s HCL Cloud Native Labs. The services will be orchestrated and available from HCL’s Cloud Native Labs in London, New York, and Noida, later this year. HCL offerings include cloud strategy planning, application transformation, cloud-native cultural transformation, proof of concept building, and nextgeneration cloud native software development services – all of which are being extended to include the IBM Cloud offerings. Additionally, HCL will offer services to help migrate ISV solutions to IBM Cloud.

Finally, HCL and IBM plan to collaborate to assist clients in building joint solutions that include IBM AI capabilities.

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Sify is Now a Google Cloud Interconnect Partner Sify Technologies Limited announced support for Google Cloud’s Partner Interconnect, a Google Cloud service that enables its customers to connect to Google Cloud Platform globally. Sify Technologies Limited’s GlobalCloudConnect (GCC) platform will now offer secure, deterministic network connectivity services to Google Cloud in India, in addition to Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure. Through Google Cloud’s Partner Interconnect, Sify is enabling Google Cloud customers to connect with their offices, data centers and workloads in other public clouds, leveraging Sify’s country wide IP VPN (MPLS) network, which reaches over 1600 Indian towns and cities. Google Cloud customers can also utilize Sify’s Data Center Interconnect services, which provide cutting-edge performance for missioncritical and latency/high-availability sensitive applications. This service is offered from 45 data centers in the country, including six of Sify’s own carrier-neutral colocation facilities.

Cryptominers Hit 10x More Organizations than Ransomware in 2018 Check Point® Software Technologies Ltd. has published the second instalment of its 2019 Security Report. It highlights how the tools and services used to commit cyber-crime have become democratized, with advanced attack methods now available to anyone willing to pay for them, as part of the growing ‘malware-as-a-service’ industry. The second instalment of the 2019 Security Report reveals the key cyber-attack trends observed

by Check Point researchers during 2018, and shows the significant growth in stealthy, complex attacks designed to stay below the radar of enterprise security teams. It also shows the types of cyberattacks which enterprise IT and security teams rate as the biggest threats to their organizations. “The second instalment of our 2019 Security Report shows how cyber-criminals are successfully exploring stealthy new approaches and business models, such as malware affiliate programs, to maximize their illegal revenues while reducing their risk of detection. But out-of-sight shouldn’t mean out-ofmind: even though cyberattacks during 2018 have been lower-profile, they are still damaging and dangerous,” said Peter Alexander, Chief Marketing Officer of Check Point Software Technologies.

Independent Research Firm Names McAfee a Leader in Cloud Security Gateway Report McAfee announced that market research firm Forrester recognized the company as a leader in The Forrester Wave™: Cloud Security Gateways, Q1 2019 evaluation. Also referred to as cloud access security brokers (CASB), Cloud Security Gateways (CSG) are on-premises or cloud-based software that secure enterprise usage of cloud services. The Forrester Wave evaluates and ranks products in the CSG category. The report provides security leaders with evaluations of the 10 providers that matter most and how they stack up. Forrester evaluated the most significant CSGs based on 34 criteria and conducted a detailed technical evaluation of each product as well as an analysis of each provider’s market presence, strategy, services and partners and customer satisfaction. In the report, authored by Forrester Vice President Andras Cser, McAfee received the highest score possible in the categories of IaaS Monitoring, Cloud Malware Detection, Sanctioned and Unsanctioned Application (Shadow IT) Detection, User Activity Monitoring, and Scalability.

PICK YOUR DEVICE: WIRELESS EARPHONES

As smartphones are becoming more affordable, the earphone market is also growing with its impact. People love to listen their favourite music tracks using earphones in private or public places without disturbing anyone. The wireless neckbands are in trend these days and the craze of this audio accessory is rapidly increasing. You might have seen people listening songs or watching any video on their smartphones by using headphones/neckbands/ earphone in public places. We are listing some of the neckbands which are very stylish and affordable as well.

1MORE Bluetooth Earphone with Mic

PTron Flexible Neckband Bluetooth Earphones

Model Name:

Dynamic Dual Driver

Model Name:

Tangent Pro Neckband

Type:

In-Ear Neckband

Type:

In-Ear Neckband

Connector Type:

Charging Time:

Talk Time:

Bluetooth

2 Hours

6 Hours

Wireless Range: 10m

Wireless Range:

10m

Bluetooth Version: Bluetooth V4.2

Bluetooth Version: Bluetooth V4.2

Colour: Rose Pink & Midnight Black

Price:

INR 999/-

Price: INR 2699/-

Warranty:

6 Months

Warranty:

1 Year

Weight:

77.1 g

Weight:

23.4 g

Colour:

Red-Black & Red-Black

Availability:

India.1more.com & www.headphonezone.in

Availability:

PTron.in & E-commerce Websites

Connector Type: Bluetooth Charging Time: 50 Minutes

Talk Time: 6 Hours

Sound One Neckband Wireless Bluetooth Earphone

Model Name:

X60

Type:

In-Ear Neckband

Connector Type:

Charging Time:

Talk Time:

Bluetooth

2 Hours

8 Hours

Wireless Range:

10m

Bluetooth Version: Bluetooth V4.2 Price:

INR 2099/-

Warranty:

1 Year

Colour:

Black

Availability:

Retail Outlets & E-commerce Websites.

Stuffcool Wireless Headphone with Neckband

Model Name:

Monty

Type:

In-Ear Neckband

Connector Type:

Charging Time:

Talk Time:

Bluetooth

3 Hours

8 Hours

Wireless Range:

10m

Bluetooth Version: Bluetooth 5.0 Price:

INR 1999/-

Warranty:

6 Months

Weight:

24 g

Colour:

Black

Availability:

All Retail Stores & E-commerce Websites

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TELECOM TODAY

OPPO Introduces Its Latest K1 Smartphone with 25 MP Front Camera

OPPO announced the entry of K series with the launch of OPPO K1.

The OPPO K1 will be available for INR 16,990, and will come in two colour variants- Piano Black and Astral Blue.

Commenting on the launch of OPPO K1, Mr. Will Yang, Brand Director, OPPO India said, “We are delighted to introduce OPPO K1 our first smartphone from the globally successful K series to the Indian market. At OPPO, we understand the evolving market trend and hence focus on making products in line with requirement for our consumers.

Today, the Indian consumers are rapidly embracing e-commerce platforms and therefore to cater to this demand, we have adopted a multi-channel strategy for the K series. Having won hearts in the offline space, OPPO is now all set to put more energy behind the online channel as well. We hope that our consumers have a memorable and delightful experience with the OPPO K1.”

OPPO K1 comes with a 6.41-inch AMOLED Full HD + display with screen resolution of 2340 x 1080 pixels. The OPPO K1 uses Corning® Gorilla® Glass 5, which will provide more protection for mobile phones as it can survive 1.6-meter, shoulder-height drops onto hard, rough surfaces up to 80% of the time.

OPPO devices have always been known for their camera, and hence, the OPPO K1 is equipped with a 25 MP front camera with F2.0 aperture to capture the best selfies and a 16MP + 2 MP dual rear camera with AI beautification.

A powerful battery for a delightful experience, the OPPO K1 comes with a 3600 mAh (Typ) and 3500 mAh (Min) battery, which frees you from the concern of charging your phone every now and then.

Based on Android 8.1 Oreo, OPPO raises the ColorOS 5.2 Operating System to a new level with an overall smarter interactive experience for users. The new OPPO K1 is powered by the Snapdragon 660 and has a 4GB RAM and 64GB ROM which is expandable to 256GB with the help of a dedicated memory card slot.

OPPO K1 which is priced at INR 16,990 will be available at a 90% buyback value of up to INR 15,300 with an additional bank discount of INR 1,690 for up to 8 months.

Airtel Boosts 4G Network Coverage with LTE 900 Technology in Mumbai Airtel said that it has further upgraded its 4G network in Mumbai with the deployment of LTE 900 technology that will significantly enhance the network experience for its smartphone customers.

With the rollout of 4G in the superior 900 Mhz spectrum band, Maharashtra’s fastest* mobile network will get additional highspeed data capacity to serve its customers. More importantly, given the high propagation and reach of the 900 Mhz spectrum, Airtel smartphone customers will enjoy improved 4G availability inside buildings - homes, offices and malls. It will also result in wider availability of Airtel 4G across Mumbai. Amit Tripathi, CEO – Mumbai, Bharti Airtel Ltd said, “Our endeavor is to deliver best-in-class network experience to our customers. The deployment of LTE 900 will further boost Airtel’s 4G coverage, particularly inside homes and buildings.

Airtel smartphone customers will enjoy a seamless high-speed data and HD quality calling experience on our upgraded network. We will continue to invest aggressively in deployment of latest network technologies to delight our customers.”

Paytm Payments Bank Customers Can Now Invest in Mutual Funds Through Paytm Money Paytm Money announced that it has enabled investment in mutual funds for Paytm Payments Bank users as well. With this integration the company aims to benefit over 42 million Paytm Payments Bank customers across India and introduce them to seamless wealth management. Paytm Payments Bank users would now be able to make their account as the primary bank account on Paytm Money, and it will be the default choice for investment & redemption of mutual fund investments. To pay for an investment using Paytm Payments Bank, a user needs to first electronically verify their bank account.

Post this, the user must enter their Paytm Payments Bank credentials for the bank account (mobile number & password) and validate the payment using the 4-digit passcode on the Paytm app. This is a onetime process and subsequent transactions can be carried out using the 4-digit passcode to validate the same.

Ericsson to Deploy 5G-ready LTE Equipment for Vodafone Idea Ltd.’s Network in India Ericsson announced that it has been selected by Vodafone Idea Limited (VIL) to deploy 5G-ready equipment across select markets in India.

Vodafone India and Idea Cellular merged in August 2018, with the merger leading to one of the biggest telecom network integration and consolidation projects in the world. As a VIL partner, Ericsson is deploying next-generation technology with built-in customizations and innovations to deliver rich consumer experience while building a robust, future-proof network. As part of the contract, Ericsson is supplying

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radio access and transport equipment from its 5G-ready Ericsson Radio System portfolio, including the MINI-LINK 6000 microwave backhaul solution. These deployments will provide VIL’s network with advanced LTE capabilities, high capacity, low latency microwave backhaul and enable rapid deployment 5G services in future. It will also improve VIL’s spectral and energy efficiency while increasing overall network capacity.

VIL customers will enjoy higher speeds while using apps, uploading and downloading files.

PARTNER SUMMIT 2019

Gaming Market Prospects & Challenge for Tech Partners

LET’S COME TOGETHER & JOIN HANDS IN PAVING THE WAY FOR NEW BUSINESS AVENUES

CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF SERVICE SINCE 2009

COMING SOON

TELECOM TODAY

Honor Launches View20 Smartphone with 48MP AI Camera Honor announced the launch of Honor View20, its latest flagship with eight world’s -first technologies on Amazon. in. Honor View20 leads the market with its disruptive technologies and features.

Priced at INR 37999, the 6GB +128GB variant will be available in two colors Midnight Black and Sapphire Blue and the 8GB+256GB variant will be available in Phantom Blue color at INR 45999 on Amazon.in.

The all new Honor View20 features eight world’sfirst technologies namely - 48MP AI Camera, AllView Display (World’s first in-screen front camera design) Kirin 980 AI chipset with Dual NPU manufactured by 7nm process, A76-cortex based CPU, Mali-G76 GPU, 1.4Gbps cat21. Modem and SoC Supporting 2133MHz LPDDR4X RAM. HONOR View20’s rear camera is the world’s first 48MP AI Camera coupled by the SONY IMX586 with a 1/2-inch large CMOS, and equivalent 1.6μm pixels in Quad Bayer array. The sensor, boosted by the Kirin 980 chipset, supports new 48MP AI Ultra Clarity mode to produce photos with unmatched detail and clarity even if it is zoomed multiple times.

Honor View20 is powered by Kirin 980 AI processor. The world’s first 7nm mobile AI chipset with world’s first dual NPU, it improves phone speed by 20%, power efficiency by 40% as compared to the 10nm chipset. It’s dual NPU can recognize 4500 images per minute which is almost 120% more compared to last generation. Thanks to the Nine Cooling Technology, which prevents overheating and helps CPU run stably at high frequencies. With the world 1st Mali G76 GPU coupled with GPU Turbo 2.0 enhances the phone’s gaming performance to facilitate smooth experience.

VIVO Launches V15 Pro Smartphone with 32MP Pop-up Selfie Camera Vivo launched the V15 Pro in India, complete with additional flagship features such as the Pop-up selfie camera, AI Triple Rear Camera, In-Display Fingerprint Scanning Technology and Super AMOLED display in the V series.

The smartphone is packed with never-before-seen innovations in this segment such as the world’s first 32 MP pop-up selfie camera and AI enabled 48 Million Quad Pixel Sensor (12Million Effective Pixels) + 8MP + 5MP triple rear camera. The device is powered with the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 675AIE octa-core processor supported by an enhanced CPU and GPU, which consumes less power while delivering flagship level performance.

The V15 Pro creates a ground-breaking visual experience by incorporating a 16.23cm (6.39) Super AMOLED Ultra FullView™ Display screen that comes with a 91.64% screen-to-body ratio – a first in the V series. The smartphone also incorporates Vivo’s industryleading fifth-generation In-display fingerprint scanning technology, which comes armed with a higher fingerprint pixel density and more sophisticated algorithms, allowing faster, flawless and a more secure unlocking experience.

The V15 Pro is the first smartphone to be packed with the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 675AIE octa-core processor. The smartphone further enriches user experience with 6GB RAM, 128GB storage and the latest Funtouch OS 9 Operating System, based on the Android 9.0.

The amalgamation of powerful specifications ensures a seamless UI experience, outstanding gaming capabilities, stellar camera features and smoother multitasking. Despite being ultra-sleek and lightweight, the V15 Pro is a powerhouse packed with a massive 3700 mAh battery.

Additionally, Vivo’s exclusive Dual-Engine Fast charging ensures that the phone is charged up to 24% in just 15 minutes.

itel Launches Its New Campaign ‘Ab Har Haath Mein Jaadu’ itel launches yet another path breaking campaign – ‘Ab Har Haath Mein Jaadu’ for its discerning customers as it completes 3 successful years in India.

Aiming to connect with the mass market consumers and enhancing their smartphone experiences by democratizing technology, itel’s new brand campaign creates an aura for all its customers. For brands, being tuned into people’s aspiration matters and this is what itel has been constantly striving to achieve since its launch in India. With this continuous and conscious effort, itel is aiming towards fuelling the aspiration of the masses thereby, empowering them with a life

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filled with magic. A life where one is able to connect with the loved ones, communication is not confined to a language, one is able to capture the happy moments of his life without any inhibitions and people come together as one big and happy family. This is itel’s life of magic! “To Celebrate the onset of the brand campaign, we have worked on our market insights strongly and met people across segments, genres and realised that value is fuelled by creating desirability and affordability, said Goldee Patnaik, Head of Marketing, itel Business Unit, TRANSSION Holdings.

PRODUCT REVIEW

KODAK 4K 43UHDX SMART LED TV India’s leading manufacturer of TVs and electronics, Super Plastronics Pvt. Ltd., a Kodak brand licensee, introduced KODAK 4K 43UHDX SMART LED TV recently. Nowadays the market of smart TV is progressing very rapidly and one of its reason is the features offered by the companies that sign off the typical TV viewing experience.

DT got the opportunity to review this newly launched LED 4K TV and we just amazed with its features, quality & performance.

This 4K TV is coupled with an impressive array of features, the 43UHDX Smart TV comes equipped with a Dual Core 1.4GHz processor, a 1 GB memory and flash storage of up to 8 GB. The TV comes with a resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels with display size of 109 cm and is equipped with intelligent features like LAN connectivity, Wi-Fi, MIRACAST, and is pre-loaded with Apps like GMAIL, YOUTUBE, TWITTER, and FACEBOOK, HOTSTAR and NETFLIX, keeping up with the demands of the consumers.

TV Model

KODAK 43UHDX Smart TV

Type

UHD

Color

Black

Processor

Dual Core 1.4GHz

Display Size

109 cm

Resolution

3840 x 2160 pixels

Maximum Audio Output

2×10W

Sound Mode

Standard, USER, Music, Movie, Sport

GPU

Mali-T720

ANDROID version

5.1.1

Wi-Fi and LAN Connectivity

Yes

Memory

1GB

Flash Storage

8GB

This TV is surely prove its worth with the outstanding picture quality and unmatched features. Its loud crispy sound and the picture viewing experience at that large 109 cm UHD display won’t let you feel being home rather it will amaze you undoubtedly.

After hours of reviewing this Kodak HD LED TV, we are happy with its performance and appreciate the unmatched features and amazing picture viewing experience.

DT gives 3.5 out of 5 stars to this Kodak LED TV.

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OPINION

“Internet of Things Offers Insureds Added Value” Authored by Hélène Stanway, Digital Leader, AXA XL

high-value clientele of the casino.

This incident illustrates perfectly the need for risk managers to have a 360-degree view of the IoT risks within their organizations, and also the need for risk mitigation and transfer to be part of the discussion on the use of IoT – upfront.

The management and transfer of risks associated with IoT requires a shift in mindset from all of us involved in the management and transfer of risks. We are talking about the difference between a physical asset and an asset that is both digital and physical.

The Internet of Things is transforming the way we live and work. And we believe it can change the way risk is managed and underwritten.

Last year, the number of connected “things” surpassed the number of human beings on the planet. Many of us live in homes with smart devices that monitor our energy consumption or operate our lighting or wear devices that track our health.

The Internet of Things is transformative for business processes too, and is being used to great effect across all sectors. Not only is IoT streamlining many processes for companies, it can also be used as a risk management and loss prevention tool.

Sensors in warehouses can track the movement of goods – and alert risk managers in the event of tampering or theft. Interconnected devices are being used in manufacturing to assess conditions and automatically trigger maintenance procedures. In the construction industry, sensors embedded in concrete during the pouring process can produce data about the integrity of the concrete as it hardens; and those sensors can become a permanent part of the structure, alerting the operator of the building in case of any issues that threaten its stability.

IoT can be used to help companies detect fraud.

As with any technology change, there are new risks to be considered and IoT, of course, changes the risk profile of some companies.

We have probably all heard the example of the Las Vegas casino hacked via the interconnected thermostat in a giant fish tank. Hackers exploited vulnerability in the thermostat to access data on

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Some clients already use IoT across all areas of their business. Those clients – rightly – expect their insurance coverage to reflect the changed quality of their risk. Insurers must devise new coverages to address these changing risks, and also examine how traditional products could respond differently.

Increased precision The convergence of data produced by interconnected systems can greatly increase precision in underwriting risk. And because underwriters have access to data that is “real time” and do not have to rely so heavily on historic claims data, there should also be greater precision in the pricing of that risk.

IoT has the potential to lead to significant changes in the way that risk is underwritten.

The mass of real-time data that IoT can provide us with will give everyone involved in the management and transfer of risk a better handle on the exposures.

Take for example, the use of sensors in the transportation of perishable goods. Sensors can be used to gauge the temperature at which goods are stored during transport. Any deviation in that temperature that could be deemed to adversely affect the quality of the goods could be used as a pre-agreed indemnity trigger.

This could, we believe, start a discussion that would bring insurance – sometimes still viewed as a grudge purchase – to the table at the very beginning of the process. For example, sensors can give valuable data about the quality of a heat, humidity or light-sensitive foodstuff – data that is relevant to the price that the vendor can command for their product. Traditional

insurance products may not be able to respond to the client’s loss if changes in conditions have altered that quality of their product during transit. But IoT gives insurers the opportunity to design coverage that addresses those risks – in conjunction with the adoption of the technology within the client’s business.

Claims Insurers also must consider how we can adapt the claims process to better reflect the changed risk profile of clients that use IoT. For example, for a logistics company that uses sensors and has a high volume of low severity claims, the insurance industry should examine ways to manage those claims more efficiently. If interconnected devices automatically can recognise and “report” a claim, why, clients may ask, can those claims not be paid automatically – rather than requiring the client to fill in forms and undergo a sometimes lengthy process to get their claims paid.

The convergence of real-time data that the IoT can provide us with has the potential to transform both the underwriting and the claims process – to the benefit of insurance buyers.

Looking to the future This month, we are announcing a partnership with Denver, CO.-based supply-chain data platform Parsyl Inc. Parsyl uses a combination of sensing hardware and large-scale data mining to give both shipping companies and their insurers insights into the context and quality conditions of sensitive products as they move through the supply chain.

The predictive analytics that Parsyl uses give marine cargo insurers a sophisticated view of risk dynamics, and the data is constantly becoming more valuable; it gets smarter with every shipment.

Marine cargo insurance is one of the sectors of our industry ripe for innovation.

Using data that is predictive, contextual – and robust – can allow insurers to rethink the way we help manage risks for clients and handle their claims. The IoT provides all of us involved in the management and transfer of risk an exciting opportunity to innovate. Let’s seize it.

MARKET REPORT

HP Inc. Led The Overall India Traditional PC Market with a 31.0% Share in CY2018 According to latest IDC Asia/Pacific Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker, February 2019, the overall India traditional PC market shipments for the calendar year 2018 stood at 9.3 million units, a decline of 2.8% Year-on-Year (YoY).

This was primarily due to the muted consumer demand and the absence of large special projects in 2018Q4 as shipments for the quarter stood at 1.99 million units, down by 23.8% YoY and 26.7% QoQ.

Full Year Highlights The overall market saw good momentum in H1 2018 due to stable consumer spending and the execution of special projects. However, the market witnessed challenges in H2 2018 in both consumer and commercial segment owing to the aggressive stocking of inventory, drop in demand and impact of processor shortages.

“Despite decline in CY2018, the industry is seeing new adoption trends of traditional PC’s.

The market witnessed the rise of new form factors in both desktop and notebook category,” says Nishant Bansal, Research Manager, IPDS & PCD, IDC India.

“All-in-One, Ultrasmall and small desktops saw a combined growth of 23% YoY, while convertibles and ultraslim notebooks observed a cumulative growth of 75% YoY. Traction towards exciting new categories such as branded gaming notebooks continued in CY2018, clocking a growth of 123% YoY. Gaming and new form factors have been driving the growth of the premium market segment in CY2018,” adds Bansal.

Segment Highlights In CY2018, the consumer market dropped by 1.5% and recorded an overall shipment of 4.54 million units. Consumer Notebook shipments saw a growth of 0.7% over last year owing to increase in demand for growing categories like gaming and ultraslim notebooks, thereby commanding a share of 82% out of the overall consumer PC market while Consumer desktops saw an annual decline of 10.2% due to the weakening contribution of the unbranded desktops.

In CY2018, the commercial shipments declined by 4%, recording a total volume of 4.76 million units, as the year did not see any large-scale special projects in the education segment.

Large and Very Large businesses saw a total

growth of 17.6% YoY. Companies in IT/ITES and BFSI have been driving the spending in the Enterprise segment.

Quarter Highlights Consumer PC market registered an overall shipment of 0.91 million units in 2018Q4, which is a 25.7 % decline over last year. The decline in the segment was a result of the excess inventory being carried forward from 2018Q3 owing to a drop in festive buying from consumers, aggravated further by channel partner issues across the country.

CY2018 but witnessed a soft decline YoY in shipments by 0.2% in the overall traditional PC market. In the consumer market, Dell Inc. was down by 11.5% YoY owing to challenges within the channel towards H2 2018. The vendor recorded a growth of 10.6% YoY in the commercial segment, driven by the refresh in enterprise demand and strong positioning within global accounts across the large and very large business.

Lenovo:

Top 3 Company Highlights:

Lenovo held the third position with a 20.6 % market share in the overall India traditional PC market in CY2018, which is a marginal decline of 1.3% in shipments YoY. The consumer PC business grew by 17.0% YoY in CY2018 as the company aggressively captured consumer mindshare in the ultraslim notebook category and continued with online channel focus and regional exclusive store penetration. Lenovo’s commercial segment dropped by 13.3 % YoY in the year as the company did not witness the execution of large manifesto projects.

However, the company saw strong growth in the Enterprise and SMB segments.

HP Inc.:

India PC market forecast:

The overall commercial PC market recorded a total shipment of 1.08 million units in 2018Q4, a decline of 22.1 % over last year. The drop is largely attributed to the sluggish demand from the SMB segment owing to credit uncertainty and lack of execution of large special projects.

Moreover, challenges in fulfilling enterprise orders due to processor shortages also accounted for the drop in commercial volumes.

HP Inc. led the overall India traditional PC market with a 31.0% share in CY2018 and recorded a YoY shipment growth of 0.6%. The vendor has maintained its dominance in the consumer PC market in CY2018, growing 5.6% YoY due to continuous engagement with channel community and penetration across Tier 2 and Tier 3 states to increase footprint and build brand awareness. The vendor led the commercial segment in CY2018 with key strategic wins in enterprise accounts in IT/ ITES vertical but registered a decline of 3.9% in shipments YoY as the vendor was not able to execute high-volume special projects in the public sector segment.

“Heading into 2019Q1, IDC expects the consumer market to decline due to frail consumer sentiment and see a correction of inventory in the channel. IDC anticipates vendors to push the new portfolio of products into the market to drive demand in the mid of CY2019. The commercial market is expected to grow on the back of the execution of special projects. Moreover, the Government segment is likely to withhold on spending before the general elections. Headwind around processor shortage is expected to continue, impacting vendor shipments in 2019Q1.” according to Navkendar Singh, Associate Research Director, Client Devices & IPDS, IDC India.

Dell Inc.:

Dell remained second with a 23% share in

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@

6th Edition

th

SUCCESSFUL YEAR

A HANDBOOK FOR ICT INDUSTRY COMING SOON

RNI NO : DELENG/2010/31992

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