Mobility feb 2016 by Mobility india

Mobility Monthly Magazine

February 2016

Issue 2

Volume 13

Pages 40

BEYOND TECHNOLOGY, BEYOND LIFESTYLE

SELFIE POPULAR TREND AMONG YOUTH

MOBILE INTERNET will be Dominant Trend of 2016 INTERACTIOIN ATUL GAUR Executive MD, Mobility India, Ingram Micro

INTERVIEW RAJESH AGARWAL Co-Founder Micromax

WOMEN POWER MANISHA SOOD Country GM, Fitbit

MAKE IN INDIA SANJEEV BHATIA Founder & Chairman, ADCOM

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CONTENTS

NEWS

LAUNCHPAD

TECH TALK

Editor Chief Editor Associate Editor (Tech,) Asst. Editor Art Director Creative Head Acct. & Finance Marketing Manager Marketing Executives

: : : : : : : : :

Swapan Roy Manoj Jha Jayanta Ghosh E.J. Jawahardatham Anit Kumar Karmendra Singh Negi Sandip Sarkar Tridip Dey Sujit Goswami, Pratap Biswas S. Dutt Raj Kumar

Circulation Manager

P. Biswas

Production

Ashish Ghosh Ashok Kumar Paul

System Manager

Ajay Biswas

Dushyant Mehta, Founder, Mediaman

CURTAIN RAISER

2nd Mobility excellence Award Night

WOMEN POWER

Manisha Sood, Country General Manager, Fitbit

PRODUCT FEATURE

ZOPO launched some path breaking devices in Indian Market with an affordable price tag

INTERVIEW

Mr. Rajesh Agarwal, Co-Founder Micromax Informatics.

FACE TO FACE

H.O.: Delhi / Editorial Ofﬁce Roy Mediative A-23, 1st Floor, Okhla Industrial Area, Phase-I, New Delhi-110020 (INDIA) Mob: 09810380882, 09811346846 Ph: 91-11-41602841, 65683896, 40536384-87 Redg.Off.: 38-B / 56 Block, C. R. Park, New Delhi-110019 (India). Branch Ofﬁce: Mumbai: E-mail: roy@ mobilityindia.com

Mr. Vivek Agarwal, Co-founder & Managing Director, M Tech Mobile Goutam Kumar Jain, Co-Founder & Executive Director, M Tech Mobile

INTERACTION

Mr Atul Gaur, Executive Managing Director, Mobility India, Ingram Micro India

TREND

Selie Popular Trend Among Youth

MAKE IN INDIA

“We want ADCOM to be among top 10 Indian mobile brands in coming years”

APPS

12 whatsapp secret features you might didnt know about

ANALYSIS

Samsung Forum 2016

MOBILITY FEBRUARY 2016

Orissa: Saraswati Behera Building, Kharavella Nagar, 2nd Lane, Near Jyoti Nagar, Berhampur-760001 (Orissa) (India) Contact : Raj Kumar-09338410809, 09439263711 Email : info@mobilityindia.com ncn_reporter@yahoo.com

Mobility Monthly News Paper, Printed, Published & Owned by Swapan Roy at 38-B / 56 Block, C. R. Park, New Delhi-110019 (India). Printed at Pushpak Printer, C-96, Okhla Industrial Area-I, New Delhi-20. Retail selling price of a magazine copy Rs. 20/-. Annual subscription Rs. 240. Editor

Mobile Internet will be Dominant Trend of 2016

EVENT

Kolkata: 105/12B, Dum Dum Road, Sil Colony, Kolkata-74 Contact: 09330922965; 09903392620 E-mail : roy@ mobilityindia.com

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Marketing

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Info

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EDITORIAL

2nd Mobility award night is Here to Roll

e are thrilled to announce that on March 4th we are conducting our 2nd Mobility Award night. This is our second consecutive annual award event meant to recognize the pioneering personalities, path-breaking innovations and technologies in the mobile world. As you know our 1st Mobility Award Night held in Jan 2015 was a grand success due to the generous and spirited support of all our partners and well-wishers. Year 2015 has seen many breakthrough technologies in the Mobile World; the world is witnessing a rapid migration to higher speed mobile broadband networks and the increased adoption of smart phones & other connected devices. Smartphone adoption is already reaching a critical mass in the developed markets, with the devices now accounting for 60% of connections. It is the developing world—driven by the increased affordability of devices—that will produce most of the future growth, adding a further 2.9 billion Smartphone connections by 2020.

Swapan Roy roymobility@gmail.com

After closely monitoring the Mobility industry, we at Mobility India are making a conscious effort to recognize the different leading personalities, brands, models, vendors, distributors and channel partners, by awarding them for their contributions. We are looking forward to see the event a grand success with your cooperation, support and blessings.

Editor’s Choice

PANASONIC P66 MEGA With Android Lollipop 5.1, Panasonic’s exclusive ICON user interface and 21 regional languages support, the P66 Mega model is fully capable of vernacular content. A 1.3 GHz Quad Core processor with 2GB RAM and 16GB internal memory – expandable to 32GB – running on a massive 3200mAh battery completes the awesome performance. The 8MP LED-enabled rear camera and 5MP front camera are complimented by a fantastic 5-inch HD IPS display which renders impressively wide viewing angles and crystal clear daylight readability

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MOBILITY FEBRUARY 2016

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NEWS

SAMSUNG APPOINTS SRINI SUNDARARAJAN

LG PARTNERS IFA FOR LG IFA SHIELD

amsung Electronics Co., Ltd. announced the appointm.ent of Srini Sundararajan as the Head of Network Business at Samsung India Electronics Ltd (SIEL). Mr. Sundararajan will be in charge of managing operations and further developing business opportunities of Samsung’s mobile network business in Southwest Asia. Mr. Sundararajan is a recognized leader in the industry for his immense knowledge of the mobile network sector, with 30 years of experience in various jobs such as R&D, product management. In his previous role, Mr. Sundararajan led Alcatel-Lucent India and South Asia business, and contributed signiicantly towards business proitability, market development and organizational management.

he IFA Shield is the most prestigious football competition organized by the Indian Football Association since 1893. It is the fourth oldest club cup competition in the world after the English and Scottish FA cup’s and the Durand cup. In recent years, there has been a signiicant increase in the viewership of football in India and the IFA Shield, which was made into a U-19 Tournament two years ago, is conident of gaining huge popularity.

GSMA CALLS AT AFFORDABLE SPECTRUM PRICING

s the digital economy becomes increasingly important to India’s future prosperity, we encourage greater focus on the long-term beneits of connecting more people in India to affordable mobile broadband, rather than on short-term inancial gain. High reserve prices and an unrealistic predetermination of spectrum value could also reduce the willingness of potential bidders to buy the spectrum. For example, in Australia, an unrealistically high reserve price

resulted in a valuable portion of the 700MHz spectrum left unsold and unused. Unused or underutilized spectrum beneits neither the economy nor society. We respectfully ask the Indian

Government and TRAI to keep in mind the objectives for releasing 700MHz spectrum – one of the most promising bands to expand the reach of mobile broadband services into rural areas – in the lead-up to auctioning this critical spectrum resource. Setting reserve prices at reasonable levels will be key to achieving the Digital India objectives, allowing operators to focus their resources on building the necessary infrastructure to deliver high-quality mobile services for Indian citizens.”

SPICE HOTSPOT HAS PARTNERED WITH WUDSTAY

TATA COMMUNICATIONS POSITIONED AS A LEADER IN GARTNER udStay, the online marketplace to book standard- MAGIC QUADRANT

ized hotels, has partnered with Spice Hotspot, India’s smartphone retailer, to help users enhance their travel experience using their smartphone. With over 300 stores across the country, Spice Hotspot will offer its customers an opportunity to book WudStay hotels across 40+ cities at special discounted rates with exclusive deals and packages especially for Spice Hotspot Customers. As a part of this partnership, the store staff will assist customers to download and book WudStay hotels at all Spice Hotspot stores across the country.

MOBILITY FEBRUARY 2016

ata Communications has been positioned by Gartner as a ‘Leader’ in its 2016 Magic Quadrant for Network Services. Designed by Gartner to examine how effectively providers meet the current needs of business in terms of both ‘completeness of vision’ and ‘ability to execute’, 2016 marks the third year in a row that Tata Communications has been positioned in the Leader quadrant. Genius Wong, “President, Global Network, Cloud and Data Center Services, Tata Communications, adds, “During the past three years we’ve invested to strengthen and expand our network and to evolve unique services to meet the changing needs of our customers. We’re delighted to see that our traditional strengths in MPLS and Ethernet and new services such as IZO Internet WAN and SIP trunking, along with our emphasis on operational excellence, have enabled us to continue to lead the way for another year across both developed and emerging markets.”

LAUNCHPAD

LENOVO LAUNCHED YOGA DEVICES IN INDIA

AMKETTE LAUNCHED EVO GAMEPAD PRO 2

DATAWIND LAUNCHES NEW DROIDSURFER 10” & 7”

Lenovo the world’s largest PC maker and an emerging player in Tablets and Smartphones, unveiled the latest line-up of its award winning YOGA devices – the YOGA 900 convertible laptop and YOGA Tab 3 Pro. With the YOGA line up of PCs and Tablets, Lenovo changed the way

After the raging success of Evo Gamepad Pro which was launched August last year,Amkette- the Indian technovator- today introduced the upgradedversion- the Evo Gamepad Pro2, further enhancing the smartphone gaming experience. The uber cool Gamepad Pro 2 comes with media control buttons and over 400 compatible games curated through the Evo Gamepad App available on the Google Play Store. Just slip this portable controller in your pocket and be ready to play whenever the mood strikes you! The Evo Gamepad App has also been loaded with a lot more new games, taking the count to over 400 games available for your entertainment.Priced at Rs. 2899, the Evo Gamepad Pro 2 is exclusively available on the leading e-commerce website, Amazon.in

DataWind expanded its portfolio by launching two new DroidSurfer 10” & 7” Netbooks priced at

people could use PCs and Tablets; blending innovative design and functionality. With the new YOGA 900, Lenovo introduces the world’s thinnest Intel Core i convertible laptop, balancing performance, mobility and YOGA’s signature watchband hinge.

AMBRANE INDIA LAUNCHES 8-INCH 3G CALLING TABLET, AQ-880 Ambrane announces

India the launch of its latest 3G Calling Tablet AQ880, which is not just a calling Tab but more! It exempliies great style combined with superior technology and aims to be the perfect companion for users who want to stay connected on the move. The AQ880 has been luxuriously crafted with slim bezels for borderless viewing. Experience richness as you feel the sleek cuboidal edges with unique metallic brush inish. Available in Classy black and Silken White. MOBILITY FEBRUARY 2016

STK INDIA LAUNCHES ITS FIRST ACTION CAMERA ‘EXPLORER CAMERA’ STK, a pioneer of mobile phone accessories announces the launch of its irst ‘explorer camera’ designed not only to endure the extreme outdoor conditions of any adventure but to also capture all the fun and thrills. The action camera is a go anywhere, rugged, compact, waterproof camera complete with 19 accessories. It is high on specs and is best suited for an active lifestyle. From everyday life to those hair raising memories the STK explorer camera will record your favorite memories. After shooting, connect the STK explorer camera to your smartphone via Wi-Fi and transfer and share your pictures and videos instantly with the mobile app. The free to download iOS or Android app will turn your smartphone into viewinder to watch recorded action or live streams from the camera as well as making it a fullyfunctional remote control enabling you to start and stop video recording and take photos via your device

INR 7,999 & 5,999 respectively. The Netbooks were launched in the presence of Kathleen Wynne, Premier of Ontario, Canada. The DroidSurfer 10” & 7” Netbooks are 10.1 & 7 inch tablets, have front facing camera, with android 4.4.2 operating System and tactile responsive keyboards. The DroidSurfer 10” & 7” Netbooks have 8GB, 4GB internal space respectively with features like Wii Hotspot, Wii Direct and Support for external devices (KBD/mouse/ Mem key). The launch of the two new DroidSurfer 10” & 7” Netbooks devices from DataWind disrupt the existing affordability conventions and again demonstrate the company’s commitment to true democratization of technology across income groups.

ADVENT ECHOPHONZ BT500

Advent, the lagship brand of Adit Infratel Pvt Ltd and a leading brand in the mobile accessories and peripherals market, has launched its latest Bluetooth headset BT500 in the Echophonz series with built- in mic. Ergonomically designed headset having appealing chrome borders comes with Bluetooth version V3.0 and offers a range of upto 8-10 metres. Delivering crisp studio quality sound with enhanced bass, the all new Echo Phonz BT 500 is a treat for music lovers pack-

ing an incredible 4-6 hours of successive playing time, thanks to its inbuilt powerful rechargeable lithium ion battery. The icing on the cake are the foldable headband and ear cups, making it convenient to carry around. Just fold it, store in your backpack and head out anywhere ! The headset sports on –ear controls to perform various functions like switching between music and calls and volume control. Additionally, the Echo Phonz BT 500 comes with FM, mini USB charging interface and a micro SD slot of upto 16GB.

TECH TALK

OUR DIGITAL SECURE ANTIVIRUS-

A Total Security Solution for Android-based Smartphones T

he security for the Android platform has become major focus as the attackers are getting more sophisticated and elusive and the solutions are far from straightforward. There’s no denying that growing malware has become a major concern. Majority of the Android security apps are actually packages that include a host of other tools, from contact iltering to remote lock or wipe. To offer the best protection to Androidbased smartphone users, Mediaman launched their Digital Secure Antivirus. Dushyant Mehta, Founder, Mediaman, clariied, “After doing a thorough study of malware and how they enter systems and cause harm, we developed our Digital Secure Antivirus to offer maximum security to Android-based smartphone users. Our anti-virus solution costs only Rs 399 and along with it we are giving the users Rs 3000 worth of beneits and freebies. We are giving these beneits as a part of promotion drive only for a limited period. New updates get automatically added to the solution via Internet. The customer just has to pay the annual renewal charge after the end of 1 year. Our Digital Secure Antivirus is a total security solution for Android-based smartphones” Digital Secure Antivirus protects your mobile device by scanning and cleaning malware from iles, memory cards, applications, Internet downloads, text messages and attachments. This always-on protection identiies and removes viruses, Trojans, worms and other malicious applications and content.The app delivers latest mobile security technologies. It is an easy-to-use, single solution that is optimized to protect your smartphones from Internet security threats with minimal impact on the performance of your devices. Mr Mehta added, “Mediaman is a channel-oriented company and channel is very important for us. We hope this Digital Secure Antivirus will be a very attractive product for the channel to promote to the end users. It is our policy to provide the best possible support to our channel.”

REGARDING HOW DIGITAL SECURE ANTIVIRUSWORKS: The user has to just download the Digital Secure Antivirus app from Google Play Store and then register himself by illing the required details. Soon after that he can start scanning and secure his mobile from viruses.

MOBILITY FEBRUARY 2016

Dushyant Mehta, Founder, Mediaman The important features of Digital Secure Antivirus include: •

Mobile App Locker which protects the selected apps from unauthorized access whenever someone tries to access the protected apps.

•

Anti Theft feature helps the user to protect his personal information if his smart-phone or tablet is lost.

•

Using Call/SMS Block, you can block unwanted calls and messages, and protect yourself from malicious or harmful apps.

•

Digital Secure feature remotely locates your phone via GPS, Wi-Fi or mobile network – for maximum accuracy.

•

Live Device Monitoring & Control feature helps you to monitor your stolen device and control your conidential data by locking / unlocking on to Digital Secure portal.

•

Using Take A Picture helps you to monitor your stolen device as it takes auto snap shot automatically on applying wrong device unlock password.

•

Firewall Protection adds a irewall to stop hackers. It helps you to disable an app’s Internet access when on Wi-Fi and 3G and roaming mobile networks (it works only on rooted phones).

•

Track Your Contact allows you to easily monitor the locations of devices which are in your contact list.

•

With Junk Cleaner, you can delete the cache and residual iles to reclaim storage, boost speed and improve the performance of your device and SD card.

CURTAIN RAISER

2 E C N E L L E C X E Y T I L t I h B g i O N M d r a 4 w h c r A a M CK on

ndors, e v y r t us bile ind for their o m e ers h e th cogniz rs and partn er the growt e r o t h to ct ed to furt ny will attra resent nds, distribu s p t e n r e a ards ievem s, bra remo oss The aw ion provider orts and ach rd-giving ce s cutting acr ff solut he awa ndred guest occasion. cere e T n . i y s r t & s e ess ndu e hu rate th b relentl ian mobile i re than thre e l e c o Ind r y to of the regation of m obile indust a cong cals of the m verti

O R o t t is all se

fter the tremendous shall set a benchmark in success of 1st Mobil- the industry. This unique ity Award Night held in initiative is intended to acJan 2015, the 2nd Mobility knowledge achievements Award Night is ready to roll of the different players in in the Hotel Suryaa, New the mobile world. The advancement in Delhi, on March 4th. This Award Night takes the op- mobile world has shortened portunity to felicitate the the distance between placachievers for the year 2015 es and created many new for their outstanding perfor- business opportunities. To mance. These awards are enhance our competitivepresented to recognize the ness in the global economobile industry vendors, my, India is evolving into a solution providers, brands, higher value-added econdistributors and partners for omy, and the development their relentless and sincere of mobile industry is one of efforts and achievements the major areas in which we to further the growth of the are striving to excel. India is continuously Indian mobile industry. The award-giving ceremony ascending the ladder of will attract a congregation mobile revolution and more of more than three hundred and more users are adoptguests cutting across verti- ing mobile-based technolocals of the mobile industry gies. With the increasing purchases via mobiles, eto celebrate the occasion. These awards, the only tailing is shifting towards mof their kind at the national tailing. A considerable porlevel, aim at recognizing tion of the Indian population â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The Excellenceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; on the ba- has already shifted from Manisha Sood, Country sis of quantitative as well the use of feature phones General Manager, Fitbitto smart phones. Now is as qualitative criteria which MOBILITY FEBRUARY 2016

the time to be a part of the mobile revolution and make the best of this upcoming wave of opportunity. Of the 5.9 billion mobile phone users in the world, 30% reside only in China and India. With many people are about move to smart phones in the coming years, India is on the verge of a vast business upheaval. India has a well spread system of the mobile network. Even in rural areas, where basic amenities ind it hard to pave in, mobile phones have found their place. Of the 160 million Internet connections in India, 86 million users belong to the mobile Internet category. Undoubtedly, mobile phone is the easiest way to connect with audience, belonging to different agegroups, demographics, cultural backgrounds, etc. The ever-growing 3G network and the upcoming 4G technology have made mobile Internet, with its ex-

quisite features of easy accessibility, versatility and instant connectivity, the best medium to reach the audience. The award event is meant to acknowledge creativity, innovation and excellence in the Indian mobile sector. This Annual Award program also provides an opportunity and an ideal environment for companies to gain local, regional and international exposure through on-going promotional activities.

ABOUT 1ST MOBILITY AWARD NIGHT Last year (Jan 2015) in line with tradition, Roymediative celebrated 1st Mobility Awards Night to recognize and reward top performing individuals, companies, brands, etc from different verticals of mobile gadgets and accessories of mobile industry. 1st Mobility Awards

Night at Hotel Suryaa, New Delhi, was attended by more than 350 people from the Indian mobile industry. The main theme of the award night was to present awards to the mobile industry players under different categories like Mobility Excellence Award, Special Award, Editor’s Choice Award and Top Mobility Partner of the year Award. The winners are decided on the basis of the online voting, market surveys and judgment of the expert pan-

el. The glittering ceremony was followed with award ceremony, PowerPoint presentation of eminent mobile vendors, mesmerizing dance program and cocktail & dinner. The 1st Mobility Award Night was graced with the presence of Honorable Guests of Honor, Mr. Rajkumar Sharma, Former OSD to PM & Advisor to CM, Chattisgarh; Mr. U.K. Mitra, Former Advisor in the ofice of Minister of Mines, Govt of India; Mr. A.P. Buddhi

Raja, Chairman, MSAI; Mr. Praveen Valecha, Regional Director – APC Bu India Alcatel Mobile; Mr. Sunil Dev – Sport Secretary for the DDCA & Ex- Manager of the irst T-20 world cup 2007; Mr. Nishant Bhatia, VP, Head of Engagement Practices, Ericsson; Mr. N.K. Goyal, President CMAI Association of India, Member, Governing Council, Telecom Equipment & Services Export Promotion Council, Govt of India; Mr. Vikram Tiwathia, Deputy Director

General, COAI and Ms. Bhavna, Business Head, MSAI, all who spared their valuable time to make the event a grand success. Last but not the least: Special thanks must go to Alcatel, Intex, Champion, Verico, Lapcare, Genius and TP-Link. With the wholeheartedly support all the Guests of Honor, Guests and others, the 1st Mobility Award Night concluded grandly and successfully, with every invitee admiring and enjoying the event—from the beginning till the end.

2ND MOBILITY AWARD NIGHT PROGRAM SCHEDULE & AWARD CATAGORY

Presents

R AGORY FO T A C D R A AW

THIS YEAR

Top Retail Par

tners

MOBILITY FEBRUARY 2016

WOMEN POWER

“ WOMEN ARE INHERENTLY ADEPT AT HANDLING COMPLEX SITUATIONS ” Men or Women can ﬂourish in the present corporate world only with their skill sets and not because of their gender. Moreover, a woman adds value to the company as responsibility is her second name and this works out in favor of the organization to gain the trust and conﬁdence of its consumers, suppliers and stakeholders. In an interaction Manisha Sood, Country General Manager, Fitbit, reveals some interesting facts.

Brief Proﬁle Manisha Sood is the Country General Manager-India for Fitbit. Manisha has joined the company in August 2015, and was previously the Director, SMB for Microsoft India. At Microsoft, Manisha was responsible for leading the sales and marketing function of the Small & Medium Enterprise Business within India. Prior to Microsoft, she was at SanDisk where she was Country Manager & Director for the India & SAARC region for over six years. Prior to SanDisk, Manisha worked with Kodak India Ltd as General Manager, Digital Capture and Home printing for 10 years and with Modi Olivetti as Business Manager. Manisha has over two dozen leadership awards and citations to her credit including the Top 10 Most Inluential People in Photography award ive times in a row for her incessant contribution to the Indian imaging sector.

Manisha Sood, Country General Manager, Fitbit MOBILITY FEBRUARY 2016

How do you see your ‘role-sets’ evolving in the mobile world? Fitness and awareness towards health & wellness are gaining momentum globally. It started in the West a few years back but is gaining signiicant traction in India too. With this growing focus on personal health, itness and wellbeing across India, and the strong demand for mobile devices and technology in the market, Fitbit is thrilled to be a part of this positive change. Health and itness wearables is empowering and inspiring people to stay it and overcome the traditional hurdles of time of day or location. Fitbit’s massive success in India is very promising for the future of itness wearables in the country. The always-on nature of the mobile world has its own challenges and beneits. For a country head’s role as mine mean I am across all development and information in realtime. The decisions have to be quick. For a role involving a lot of travel and dealing with people across geographies, mobility makes running the business much easy. On the lip side, one has to carefully manage the worklife balance and staying active and healthy. Fortunately, you have Fitbit to monitor all that!

How women at managerial posts are viewed by your organisation? Fitbit provides an exciting and innovation-driven work environment. We’re a passionate team dedicated to health & wellness, and gender is irrelevant at our workplace, as it should be. Men and women at any role in this organisation have these two values ingrained in them, and are viewed with the same lens. Fitbit is an equal-opportunity employer. Fitbit has a very well balanced gender mix across the managerial and executive levels. Fitbit encourages women in the leadership roles.

How a woman can execute challenging tasks, and can bring the desired business results in corporate world? Women do tend to be collaborative, and that is important in a world and a work force that is changing so fast. The challenge in most organizations is to innovate and adapt. An autocratic style doesn’t serve that. You need different perspectives at the table from diverse backgrounds. What I’ve observed is that as women, we often wait until we’re competent before we feel conident. But men often feel conident before they’ve achieved full competence. Success correlates just as closely with conidence as it does with competence. No wonder we see such a few women, despite all our progress, are represented at the highest levels. I think this question applies to both the genders as business demands are not really gender neutral. Being a woman doesn’t put you at a disadvantage in any way in executing tasks and bringing about change. Quite conversely though, women leaders are more adept at handling challenging situations; they are more articulate, excel at multi-tasking and great team players. That said, women tend to be more collaborative, and that is impor-

tant in a world and a work force that is changing so fast.

Do you think a woman at decision-making position can understand the channel issues more sensitively? Women are inherently good at handling complex situations and the channel business is fairly layered and complex and yes here being a woman helps. Having said that the channel business works around relationships, besides other things. These relationships extend beyond organizations and roles. Being a woman, I understand the importance of relationships and nurturing them.

What type of challenges are you facing in corporate business? The workplace is changing signiicantly in every aspect, and the pace of change isn’t slowing down. Skills learnt at the beginning of your career are quickly becoming outdated. Each skill and process requires a constant learning process and the key to this is to challenge yourself to be better at whatever you do. Otherwise, you can easily get burnt out. As technology and business practices continue to change, professionals who forget about learning can easily get left behind. I have looked at it very differently. As a diversity executive, you are both a manager and a mother.

Being a woman, how do you balance between your family, relationships and work? Each of these aspects of life is important to me, and are not conlicting with each other at all. I ensure I maximize my time during my working hours, and dedicate the rest of the time to my family and myself. Attaining professional success relies heavily on how successful and happy we are in our personal lives. While it is dificult to strike that balance sometimes, I most deinitely feel contented when I do. If this balance is a priority, then one needs to focus on how to make it happen without getting hung up on what’s not working. Mind-set matters. Each of these aspects of life is important to me, and for me they are not at all conlicting with each other. I ensure I maximize my time during my working hours, and dedicate the rest of the time to my family and myself. Attaining professional success relies heavily on how successful and happy we are in our personal lives. While it is dificult to strike that balance sometimes, I most deinitely feel contented when I do. If this balance is a priority, then one needs to focus on how to make it happen without getting hung up on what’s not working. Mind-set matters.

What are your future plans? At Fitbit, we want to continue help people lead healthier, more active lives by empowering them with data, inspiration and guidance to reach their health and wellness goals. We are working towards raising awareness in the country, by offering a fun and engaging experience, providing insights and guidance for users to get the most out of their devices.

MOBILITY FEBRUARY 2016

PRODUCT FEATURE

ZOPO LAUNCHED SOME PATH BREAKING DEVICES IN INDIAN MARKET WITH AN AFFORDABLE PRICE TAG henzhen ZOPO Communication Equipment Co. Ltd. headquartered in Shenzhen, China and established in 2008, is a hi-tech enterprise engaged in the design, manufacture and marketing of mobile intelligent terminal products. With clients spread across 135 countries, ZOPO is an internationalized enterprise in the communications industry, with a design team in Europe, and sales location teams in Europe, Southeast Asia, Middle East and South America. ZOPO Europe Operations Center has been established on April 1st 2015 to support the marketing and after-sales service in the European market.

ZOPO, a hi-tech enterprise which is engaged in the design, manufacture and marketing of mobile intelligent terminal products, with clients spread across 135 countries, ventured into the Indian territory. Currently ZOPO is engaged in three main product lines: Speed, Flash and Color series.

SPEED SERIES Hero 1: Look and Feel: Hero1 comes with a brushed metal-like inished back cover made through nano injection molding and spray coating technology. The mid-frame comprises of a glossy silver dual track. Symmetrical design, slim and stylish. Hero1 is equipped with a 5.0-inch frameless screen that can display superior visual effects. You can enjoy vivid images on the IPS display even under direct sunlight. 64-bit Quad-Core CPU. 2GB RAM + 16GB ROM, 64-bit Quad-core MT6735 CPU and ARM Mali-T720 graphics processor facilitate you to take a quick game pass! The performance is improved by 50% and the energy eficiency improved by 150. A whopping 13.2MP rear camera captures every precious moment in stunning detail, cherishing the beautiful things around you and then sharing them with your friends. Face Beautify 4.0 works passively to make your selies more beautiful, through lightening/ darkening and more that all happen behind the scenes to make you look your best. Hero1 comes equipped with a li-polymer battery of 2500mAh. Streaming video and audio, browsing the news or just downloading, all are blazing fast thanks to 4G LTE. Plus, you can use two SIM cards on one phone.

MOBILITY FEBRUARY 2016

OS Android 5.1 OS with Z-UI brings a simple, yet powerful user interface experience. On-screen buttons can effectively prevent input error. Android 5.1 utilizes a power-saving mode, many bug ixes and improved face recognition technology. Drawing different letters on the screen can open different apps. With the screen off, double-tap the screen to wake, draw a “C” to open the camera. Just waving your hands allows you to view the next and previous pictures, there’s no need to touch the screen anymore.

Smart Flip Cover See it all through the circular cover without having to lip open to check the time, messages, calls and more! Even swipe the transparent window to answer/reject calls.

vivid than you can imagine. It is powered with 3GB RAM. 64-bit Octa-Core CPU, 3GB of memory allows Speed 7 Plus to handle multiple complicated tasks at the same time. With a 64-bit octa-core CPU, performance is improved signiicantly compared with a 32bit CPU. A whopping 13.2MP rear camera captures every precious moment in stunning detail, cherishing the beautiful things around you and then sharing them with your friends. It also equipped with 4G LTE, plus, you can use two SIM cards on one phone. Speed 7 Plus comes equipped with a li-polymer battery of 3000mAh, super power-saving chip, professional power management IC and a more energy-eficient CPU.

Speed 7 Plus Look and Feel: Ultra-Narrow Bezel, near borderless perfection, Speed 7 Plus is equipped with a 5.5-inch frameless screen that can display superior visual effects. Enjoy the beauty that technology brings. 1080P, more

OS: Android 5.1 OS with Z-UI brings a simple, yet powerful user interface experience. Onscreen buttons can effectively prevent input error. Android 5.1 utilizes a power-saving mode, many bug ixes and improved face recognition technology. Face Beauty 4.0 works passively to make your selies more beautiful, through lightening/darkening and more that all happen behind the scenes to make you look your best.

Under Color Series: Color ZP590 Look and Feel: With striking Colors the ZP590 comes with the 4.5Inch Ultra-Sharp screen with IPS image technology, gives you truer colors and vivid presentation for maximum visual impact and intriguing browsing experience. With its Dual Hi-Fi Speakers listening to music, you needs dual hi-i speakers! ZP590 has balanced-sound EQ inside, presets 12 scenes, with multiple reverberation effects, which have you enjoying music always and everywhere. Powered with Quad Core 1.3Ghz CPU Clock, Quad core CPU, fast retrieval and storage and low-energy consumption. Stable internal memory to it all your favorite music, images, videos and more into your mobile phone. Full your phone, convenient the carry, and further colorful your life. Side frame, thick at both ends and slim in the middle, stylish and unique design, give a sense of slender visual aesthetics; curved body its perfectly into your palm and piano lacquer inish for a more comfortable touch. Fitted with premium quality 1700mAh lithium-ion battery. Capture and immortalize the instantaneous beauty with your high-deinition 5 megapixel back camera.

Always connected: Multi-Platform Social Entertainment Applications, integrating multi-platform social application, allows

you to simultaneously share your mood, status and images to WeChat, Weibo and QQ zone. Stay wired at all times and spice up your life.

MOBILITY FEBRUARY 2016

INTERVIEW

“MICROMAX ALWAYS BRINGS LATEST AND FUTURE-READY TECHNOLOGIES TO INDIAN CONSUMERS” icromax is already leading the mobile market with its innovations in the hardware, services and manufacturing space. In line with the developments, Micromax continued its pursuit to offer products and services for the Indian consumer reinforcing our commitment to democratize technology for the masses. In an interaction with Mobility magazine, Rajesh Agarwal, CoFounder, Micromax Informatics, shares their company’s philosophy, strategies and plans in relation to the highly competitive and rapidly changing Indian smartphone space.

WHAT ARE THE CURRENT TRENDS IN MOBILE INDUSTRY IN INDIA AND WHERE MICROMAX STANDS IN THE RACE? Smartphones today are at the center stage of everything starting from IoT to wearable technology; and have become a playground for brands to come forward and showcase their imaginative prowess. Everything that a user wants will be and can be controlled through these smartphones. A rapidly growing mobile trend at present is the 4G adoption in the country. Our market research suggests that an average Indian spends over 3.5 hrs on the smartphone and consumes about 4-5GB data every month, across age groups; 55% of this time is spent online, multi-tasking across various applications. The increasing usage of social networking, messaging apps, entertainment and video apps, games and browsing derive the growing demand of faster Internet speed and seamless connectivity, and hence the focus is on 4G handsets. Currently, we are focusing on the ‘Massiﬁcation of 4G’, and are hoping to make this upgraded technology accessible to the Indian consumers, and therefore 50% of smartphones that we will launch in this ﬁscal year will be 4G devices. We hope to further boost 4G-adoption in the country by making a full range of 4G-enabled smartphones available to users across disruptive

MOBILITY FEBRUARY 2016

Mr. Rajesh Agarwal, Co-Founder Micromax Informatics.

price points. From the hardware standpoint, 2016 will be the year of large screens and videos. With the wide availability data network, content, personalization and hardware in place, a smartphone will become a more preferred source for video consumption. Another significant trend that continues to be growth driver of this segment is the feature phone to smartphone transition especially by the first time users with entry level smartphone being made more accessible with a fantastic price to features ratio. With 60% of the user base still on feature phones, the expectation is that close to 70-80 million feature phone consumers will switch to affordable smartphones and the industry will definitely see more action making 2016 the year of smartphone. We have been the front runners motivating consumers to shift not only from feature phones to smartphones but also leapfrog directly to 4G through our innovative & affordable offerings. COULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR JOURNEY TO MAKE THE MICROMAX BRAND AS 10TH LARGEST MOBILE PHONE PLAYER IN THE WORLD? Micromax started as an IT software company in 2000, entered the mobile handset business by 2008.

Micromax is the brain child of Rahul Sharma, Vikas Jain, Sumeet Arora and me. Our venture into the mobile handset industry in 2008 led to the inception of Micromax Informatics Limited. Micromax entered the Indian handset market at a time when global players such as Nokia, Samsung etc, were dominating this segment. The challenge that lied ahead of us was to create mindshare in an already cluttered market and reach out to the mass consumers who wished to own a mobility device to make their life simpler but were not able to due to the price constraints. The brand needed to build trust relationship amongst the consumers about our products and innovations. In order to achieve this, the company adopted the utilitarian philosophy to cater to all fragments of the society, with equal zeal and enthusiasm and came up with products which they can relate to in their everyday lives. We pioneered the democratization of technology for masses by offering affordable innovations through our product offerings and removing barriers for large scale adoption of advanced technologies. This has been at the core of Micromax, and the guiding force for all our innovations. And so, our innovative pricing and fantastic price to specs ratio, also helped us achieve reasonable degree of success. Through our constant emphasis on adapting to the changing market dynamics, introducing feature-rich phones and smartphones that are innovative and unique, Micromax has today become a force to reckon with. Today mobile industry is going through a lot of changes in terms of acceptability, marketing spends and demands of the customers. On this front, what’s the stand of Micromax? You have aptly put it and it is true that we are living in a world today where consumer’s needs and acceptability are changing rapidly and so are the marketing strategies of the smartphone players. Customers today prefer relevant innovation over a complex and generic one. So we focus on creating categories of products for various segment of people, be it youth or women, etc rather than concentrating on a particular genre. We believe in expression of individuality. We have always been the first brand to offer innovative products – Canvas Selfie Range for the Selfie Aficionados, Canvas Fantubalet – Smartphone with World’s largest screen for the users who love to stream videos on the go. At Micromax, our focus has been to get the relevant technological innovations at a disruptive price points to further help us gain an edge over the competitors. We always kept our ears to the ground to understand the needs and demand of consumers and have offered mobility devices that could fulfill these. With an indepth understanding of rapidly changing consumer preferences coupled with the use of advanced technologies and correct pricing Micromax has been able to differentiate itself through innovation and design. Constant innovation and listening to our consumers paves way for sustaining product relevance.

ARE YOU CONTINUOUSLY PROGRESSING TOWARDS ACHIEVING YOUR TARGETS? Yes, we are the number 1 brand in the smartphone market in the sub Rs 7.5k category in India with 30% market share in the segment. We are growing robustly in volume in all our product categories, led by smartphones which account for almost 60% of our portfolio. We are gaining significantly versus the industry average, hence we’re seeing a growth in market share as well. In the television category as well we are in the top 4 players with a market share of 10%. In the tablet segment also, we have a robust portfolio and a market share of 12%. We have come a long way in the last 7 years and now we intend to make it to the list of world’s top 5 global handset brands. A couple of years ago, we explored newer markets such as Russia, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka and have successfully consolidated our operations in these countries. To further expand our scope of growth, we are now looking towards exploring new markets. WHAT ARE THE KEY CHALLENGES YOU ARE FACING IN A COMPETITIVE MARKET LIKE THE INDIAN? Indian smartphone market is very volatile with the influx of many Chinese smartphone players in the market. While the competition is very fierce, we believe that the market will consolidate and only those players who understand the pulse of the young hyper social Indian consumers will keep going this year. Also, with the roll out of 4G late last year, we will see more 2G users to skip 3G and move to 4G directly. Hence one of the major tasks this year is going to be to get more users to switch on to the 4G smartphones. WHICH MOBILE BRANDS WOULD YOU COUNT AMONG THE POTENTIAL SURVIVORS? While there going to be fierce competition, we see that the market will surely consolidate in 2016, and will see a number of players, like low standard Chinese players and new entrants, who are not committed to the Indian consumer demands either exiting the market or changing their strategies. Most of them are still struggling to understand the root level needs of the Indian consumers. While global players launch products based on their global experience and productlines, we at Micromax design product portfolio customized according to the needs of the Indian market. WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE PLANS? Entering a new phase, our focus is going to be on providing solutions to the consumers using their phones. Going forward, a large chunk of our efforts will be concentrated on coming up with products and services which act as solutions to the needs of the fastevolving consumers. At Micromax, our strong emphasis would be to continue to drive innovations in hardware but also add a lot of a value through software and services that will power our devices eco-system. We will be aiming to develop products & services which not only enhance & upgrade the life of the consumers but also empower them with the latest technological innovations becoming an extension of their lifestyle.

MOBILITY FEBRUARY 2016

FACE TO FACE

“We want M Tech Mobiles to be among Top 5 Mobile Brands in India”

Mr. Vivek Agarwal,

Goutam Kumar Jain,

Co-founder & Managing Director, M Tech Mobile

M Tech Mobile is a brand of M Tech Informatics Ltd, incorporated in 2010, with its HQ in New Delhi. An ISO 9001:2008 company, M Tech Mobile has embarked on the journey of to provide its customers with products which are not only affordable but also have unmatched quality and after sales service. To realize this dream, M Tech Mobile spends a considerable amount on R&D of its product and market surveys. In an interaction with Mobility magazine, Goutam Kumar Jain, Co-Founder & Executive Director, M Tech Mobile and Mr. Vivek Agarwal, Co-founder & Managing Director, M Tech Mobile, shares their company’s strategy and future plans. Goutam explains, “So far our main focus has been mainly on feature phones. At present, we sell about 250,000 feature phones and 30,000 smart phones monthly.

MOBILITY FEBRUARY 2016

In other words, feature phones roughly form 80% and the rest 20% smart phones among our sales. We have our own service partners and we manage over 450+ service centres across India thru our 600+ distribution centres. We are giving 1-yr warranty on all our phones. At present M Tech Mobile is present in 20 states in India. In the coming 6 months they want to reach other areas as well. Right now they have nearly 15 feature phone models and 5 smart phone models. Every month 5-6 new models are introduced by M Tech Mobile. Their focus markets for feature phones are mainly T2 and T3 cities. Goutam shares, “Our current 5 models of smart phones are priced in the range of Rs 2500 to Rs 8000. Right now all our smart phone models are 3G, but by the end of 2016 we want to launch 4G models.” Regarding their

Co-Founder & Executive Director, M Tech Mobile

channel strategy, Mr. Agarwal says, “We have two-format distribution system: one is super distributor format and the other is micro-distributor format. In some states, we operate thru super distributors and in some states thru microdistributors. To motivate channel, we sell 100% of our products via white market channel partners and none in grey market. So channel partners have their margins ixed, no undercutting due to grey players. Next, all our models are also available online and ofline, but we maintain price parity. We directly control the online distribution whereas our ofline distribution is through distributor channel.” Regarding their competitive edge, Mr. Agarwal asserts, “We have two manufacturing plants in Baddi, Himachal Pradesh. Since we are manufacturing in India under Make in India policy, we have cost

advantage and no duty payments. Right now, we are manufacturing only feature phones. In a couple of months we will start manufacturing smart phones too in our plants. In fact in the coming years, due to Make in India and BIS, the grey market, which is a great nuisance at present, will gradually die. That is good for everyone.” Regarding future trends and their company’s plans, Mr. Goutam explains, “By 2017, we want that our feature phones and smart phones shares 70% and 30% of our total sale. In late 2015, M-Tech has launched a smartphone called ‘Jazbaa’ in association with the ilm ‘Jazbaa.’ It was a great success. Later this year, we will focus more on providing 4G handsets with better selie cams, which will be the important future trends. In the coming years, we want to be among top 5 Mobile brands in India.”

MOBILITY FEBRUARY 2016

INTERACTIOIN

INGRAM MICRO ADDS VALUE IN THE DISTRIBUTION CHAIN: FROM PARTNERS TO END USERS ngram Micro India Pvt Ltd (IMIPL) is a subsidiary of Ingram Micro Inc, USA. Established in 1979 and based out of Mumbai, Ingram India today is one of the top IT distribution companies in India with nationwide presence at nearly 40+ locations. In an interaction with Mobility magazine, Mr Atul Gaur, Executive Managing Director, Mobility India, Ingram Micro India, shares their company’s perspective and views about the rapidly growing mobility market in India.

Atul comments, “Today, India is the 2nd largest market for mobile phones and the numbers are going to increase further offering a wide range of opportunities for the providers as well as channel partners. Ingram is a very channel-focused organization. If channel is content and grows, we will also grow. We being distributors are a B2B bridge between our two channel verticals: the vendors and the supply chain partners below. We represent many top brands in the mobility industry. As a Value-Added Distributor, we do business through adding value in the form of ensuring better product availability, sorting out customer service issues and understanding the needs of the channel partners through transparent and eficient management. We use the most effective apps to connect with the partners and customers, and our partner-support system is among the best in the industry that allows prompt and eficient communication and resolution of issues.” Ingram Micro Inc, USA (the parent organization of Ingram India) is one of the world’s largest technology distributors providing sales, marketing and logistics services for the IT industry, including telecom industry products, worldwide. Ranked No. 62 in the 2015 Fortune 500 globally, Ingram operates in 160 countries with approximately 200,000 partners worldwide, including retailers and IT resellers. Regarding Ingram India’s present focus vis-à-vis the

MOBILITY FEBRUARY 2016

latest market trends in India in the Mobility industry, Atul states, “Mobility today is a very fast growing segment. We distribute for many prominent brands, both Indian and MNC. For the last couple of years, we have been concentrating a lot on providing services to the mobile segment users. We are the largest broad based distribution house .While dealing with logistics, we effectively close the gaps even which vendors could not cover or reach. Similarly, we make available spare parts and services, where the original providers ind dificult to percolate. Recently we started repairing and refurbishing mobile phones. Today, due to competition margins are coming down. Only those vendors and distributors, who can provide extra value can survive in the market. So we are focusing more on expanding our after-sales-service and other value added services operations. In most cases, supporting entertainment, Premium Anti Virus suite and free insurance cover is an initiative from our side, independent of the vendor. We have the brand by the name “COVER PLUS” from Ingram Micro under whose umbrella we have many such services. We even acquired a trade in and insurance company abroad for similar purpose. We have the most effective and customer-centric insurance support policies. Today, even online retailers want tie-ups with us for providing services. Vendors are recognizing the importance of insurance and started providing free insurance-cover

on some of their models. While offering COVER PLUS services, our retailers give both options to the customers where the customers can take the product without insurance or with free insurance and other value added services for a small additional price.”

The mushrooming of online retailers, who often sell at much below the market operating prices, is adversely affecting the traditional channel and the traditional channel is deeply worried about this trend as it is cutting into their sales as much as proits. In this regard, Atul clariies, “In developed countries online purchases amount Distributors who want to remain successfully on top to 30% and in India it is less than that, but increasing. in the industry need to have wide range of brands & However, these online sales proportion in comparison products, huge volume, global coverage, unparalleled to ofline sales will soon reach equilibrium. Many comstandards and accuracy for logistics services, as well as panies are selling online for little or no margins just to inancial strength to support growth and remain commake inroads into the market and some of these online petitive. Ingram Micro with all these strengths is comretailers spend a lot on promotion at mitted to transforming the value the cost of their proits. And such proposition for technology distria trend cannot last long. Next, In next two years, you bution. Innovation is the key difservice assurance for online buyferentiator of Ingram Micro in the will see more growth on ers cannot match that for buyers industry. from traditional channel. In the Ingram’s value-added services Regarding the trends in the long run, it won’t be as easy for with more focus on services near future, Atul adds, “Nowathe online channels to run as it days the customers are rapidly is today. Even vendors with viand customer satisfaction. moving from feature phones to sion know that if they ignore the In future we also want get smart phones and technology is traditional channel, they cannot moving from 3G to 4G. This trend do business in the long run, as closer to the retail outlets and is going to accelerate further the traditional channel still forms the end customers. making mobile phone an instruover 80% of the business in India. ment for consumption of huge In fact, online exclusive offers are online content—including movies, good, as they do not compete with songs, photos, etc. People will demand high processor the offers via the traditional channel. And some brands speeds, high memory capacity and speed, better clarity sell only ofline. Our suggestion to the brands is either to and quality, etc. As a result, we will see more innova- clearly specify and differentiate the products that can be tions both on hardware and software fronts.” sold online and ofline, so that market in general, and their brand images in the market in particular, do not get Ingram’s management team is focused on undermessed up or help ensure consistent MOPs across the standing the actual customer expectations and bringing two trades for the same products as that will help penout the latest technology solutions and value-added seretration faster and better.” vices to the end users. Ingram will continue to demonstrate to the industry that it is the most effective partner Ingram Micro specializes in three market segments: to reach the end users. commercial, consumer and value-added resellers (VARs). Each segment comprises a variety of customer groups, Atul envisions, “The next big thing will be, as peofor example: Corporate Resellers - Corporate technology ple starting purchasing new phones, they will sell the solution providers; Direct and Consumer Marketers - diused ones which may still not be too old—few months rect marketers, computer superstores, mass merchants, to a year or so old. This will make the used phones, with Internet storefronts, consumer electronics and ofice supnearly new phone looks and abilities, available at low ply stores; and Value Added Resellers - System and Web prices, as low as 50% or less of the new ones, to the buyintegrators, application VARs, and government and eduers, which is an attractive buy. Ingram is also working to cation VARs. More than 1400 vendor partners, including actively make use of this opportunity. Whenever we buy hardware manufacturers and software publishers utilize a used phone, we take the complete description and deIngram Micro as their distribution partner. tails of the phone including its IMEI no, its present physical condition, ensure that the phone is not a stolen one Regarding their future plans, Atul comments, “Tradi, customer’s declaration to relinquish his rights on data tional distribution business is going to stay; brands may on the old phone if any , etc. Similarly, when we collect come and go. Online retailing will reach a saturation an old phone, we also take the PAN / ID number of the point; it can never topple the traditional channel. And Insellers so that so that stolen phones do not make their gram is here to stay, grow and lourish. In next two years, way into our stock. We give all relevant details about you will see more growth on Ingram’s value-added serthe phone to the buyer who wants to purchase the used vices with more focus on services and customer satisfacphones. We ensure that our partners also would be con- tion. In future we also want get closer to the retail outlets ident about selling second hands provided by Ingram. and the end customers. We are using special apps to Partners are very important to us and without them we connect to partners and end customers.” cannot proceed further.”

30 28

TREND

SELFIE POPULAR TREND AMONG YOUTH As time goes on we get so caught up in what’s going on in the present that memories from the past slowly fade. However, that doesn’t apply to all you daredevils who took selﬁes while skydiving or from those skyscraping, cloud touching, buildings because who in their right mind could forget something so terrifying?! Anyways, selﬁes are a great way to preserve our most memorable experiences, and even the most simple, yet cherished experiences.

ttempts to click eye-catching pictures to upload them on social networking sites cost three college going friends from New Delhi, Moradabad and Faridabad their lives when they were run over by the speeding train. Earlier this year, a man was gored to death taking a photo during a bull run in Spain. A Japanese tourist died when collapsing and falling down stairs posing at the Taj Mahal in India. They are among the 12 tourists who have been killed as a result of taking selﬁes in 2015. The selie is revolutionising how we gather autobiographical information about ourselves and our friends. It’s about continuously rewriting yourself. It’s an extension of our natural construction of self. It’s about presenting yourself in the best way. Selie is a self-portrait photograph taken with a digital camera or mobile phone camera held in the hand or supported by a selie stick often to widen the angle. Youth often share selies on social networking sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. Human beings are social animals and have long been driven by the need for approval and selfafirmation – albeit on a smaller scale. The desire for a pictorial representation of the self goes all the way back to early handprint paintings on cave walls more MOBILITY FEBRUARY 2016

than 4,000 years ago. In a fast-paced world of everchanging technology, it could be argued that the selie is simply a natural evolution of those hands dipped in paint. Black and white photography, which started in 1839, today evolved to selies stage on smart phones with revolutionary innovations. The earliest usage of the word selie can be traced back to 2002. Initially popular with young people, selies gained wider popularity over time. Time magazine considered selie one of the ‘top 10 buzzwords’ of the year 2012. In November 2013, the word selie was announced as being the ‘word of the year’ by the Oxford English Dictionary. The trend has even reached outer space: in December, Japanese astronaut Aki Hoshide took what might be the greatest selie of all time at the International Space Station. The resulting image encompassed the sun, the Earth, two portions of a robotic arm, a spacesuit and the deep darkness of the ininite beyond. The popularity of selies in social media has been astounding. Instagram has over 53 million photos tagged with the hashtag #selie. The word ‘selie’ was mentioned in Facebook status updates over 368,000 times during a one-week period in October 2013. During the same period on Twitter, the hashtag #selie was used in more than 150,000 tweets.

5 TECHNOLOGIES FOR THE SELFIE-OBSESSED Taking a great selﬁe requires two elements: A lattering facial pose and state-of-the-art technology. The irst part is something you’ll have to work out on your own, but the tech side of the selie equation depends on your device. Regarding the smartphones designed with self-portraits in mind to photo-snapping sombreros, here are 5 technologies that can help you take better selies: THE SELFIE SOMBRERO: Collaboratively designed by Taiwanese tech company Acer and designer Christian Cowan-Sanluis, the selie sombrero is a great feature for selfes. Attached to the brim of this giant hat is a case just the right size for Acer’s newest tablet, the Iconia A1840. The tablet spins full 360-degrees around the hat, enabling whoever is wearing the contraption to take a selie from any angle. The selie brush, which not only helps you hold your phone out more comfortably when snapping a picture of yourself, but also ensures that you look perfectly coiffed in every pic. The selie stick is an extendable arm that lets you hold your camera further away from your body when snapping a shot. It’s particularly useful for people who like taking group selies or if you want to take a selie in front of a scenic backdrop. DRONIES: The drone selie or dronie: This high-tech trend was spearheaded by Tourism New Zealand, which has taken to using its drones to snap selies of visitors at six different tourist attractions around the country. After zooming in on a tourist’s face, the New Zealand drones ly a bit further away from their subjects, capturing eight seconds of scenic HD video footage in the process. The footage is sent to tourists via text or email, where it can then be shared through social media. Those looking for proof need only search Twitter for the hashtag #NZdronie. But you don’t have to be an oficial tourism agency to get a camera-carrying drone of your own. The Phantom 2 Vision+ drone used by Tourism New Zealand is manufactured by the tech company DJI and retails for about $1,200. LENS-STYLE CAMERAS: Selie lovers everywhere rejoiced when Sony started selling its smartphone-attachable lensstyle cameras. These circular contraptions are fully functioning cameras which can either be attached to a smartphone for greater zooming capabilities or, for the selie-obsessed, can be held at arm’s length to snap the perfect portrait. Because these devices sync up with your smartphone, you simply

DARK SIDES OF SELFIE Psychological studies conducted in 2015 among social media users suggest that there is a relationship between selie-posting behaviors and narcissism (excessive interest in or admiration of oneself and one’s physical appearance). The link between number of selies posted online and narcissism was stronger among men than women. In 2015 it was reported that more people had been killed taking selies that year than by shark attacks. Takers of selie photographs have fallen to their deaths while losing their balance in a precarious position, and others have been wounded or killed while posing with handguns which have accidentally ired. Concerned about the increasing number of incidents

press a button on your phone (which is in your un-extended hand) and the camera snaps your selie. With a similar idea Casio’s new EX-FR10 camera uses Bluetooth technology to sync its detachable camera lens to a tiny control unit. As with Sony’s lens cameras, the photographer can hold the lens with one extended hand while pressing a button on the control unit in their other hand to take a picture. SELFIE SHINE: Proper lighting is the key to an attractive photo and selie-takers who want to practice their art in bathrooms, cars, bars and other dimly lit places understand the importance of illuminating a subject. For these amateurs, LuMee is a cost-effective solution to bad lighting. LuMee is a smartphone case embedded with LED lights that can be turned on whenever you get the urge to take your own picture. The device resembles a tiny dressing room mirror and can hold a charge at full brightness for up to 2 hours. The case is so far only available for Apple’s iPhone 5 and iPhone 5s smartphones, but the company says it is working on illuminated cases for Samsung Galaxy phones, as well as theiPad and other tablets. LuMee is also a great tool to have when applying makeup, a feature that some selie-takers may appreciate. NEXT-GENERATION SELFIE PHONES: The newest iPhone comes equipped with what Apple calls ‘burst mode,’ a feature that lets users take up to 10 pictures per second with one tap of the screen. And to facilitate marathon selie sessions, burst mode is available on the front as well as on the back camera. Apart from being able to take 100 photos in 10 seconds, the iPhone 6 also features a redesigned front camera, the ‘FaceTime HD camera,’ which captures 80% more light than previous versions of the phone and has improved face detection, according to Apple. Earlier, HTC introduced its One Mini 2, a smartphone with a 5-megapixel front camera, as well as a self-timer and ‘touch up’ feature for editing out blemishes and red eyes. The phone was especially designed with selie shooters in mind. Several other leaders in the smartphone space, including Samsung and Acer, also introduced devices with selie-friendly features.

of selie-related injuries and deaths in the country, the Russian Ministry of the Interior released a ‘Selie Safety Guide’ in 2015 that warned selie enthusiasts about some common dangerous behaviors. A 2015 study showed that 20% of young Britons had taken selies while driving a car. The Italian chief of state police expressed concern over the same phenomenon in Italy on the occasion of the launch of a short ilm with the title ‘Selie.’

CASES OF SELFIE-RELATED ACCIDENTS: The following are the reported and recorded events [whereas observers believe that actual unreported accidents could at least 10 times more that those listed below numbers:

MOBILITY FEBRUARY 2016

TREND

March 2014: A 21-year-old Spanish man died from electrocution after climbing on top of a train to take a selie with friends and touching a live wire. April 2014: (1) A 17-year-old Russian amateur photographer climbed atop a railway bridge in Saint Petersburg to take a selie. She lost her balance and fell to her death. (2) A 32-year-old woman from North Carolina collided with a truck moments after posting selies of herself online. May 2014: (1) Puerto Rican musician Jadiel El Tsunami died in an accident shortly after taking a selie on his motorbike. (2) In the United States, the pilot of a Cessna 150K and his passenger were killed when the pilot was distracted taking selies and lost control of the plane. (3) In Kerala, India, a 15-yearold boy was instantly killed by a speeding train while posing for a selie on the track. July 2014: A 14-year-old high school student in the Philippines fell to her death after losing her balance while taking a selie with a friend near a staircase landing of their school in suburban Pasig. August 2014: A 15-year-old boy in the Philippines was critically wounded after accidentally shooting himself while taking a selie in which his other hand was holding a gun to his chin. October 2014: An 18-year-old woman drowned in the Philippines after posing for a group selie on a beach with friends and being captured by a strong wave. November 2014: A 23-year-old student from Poland fell to her death while trying to take a selie on the ledge of the Puente de Triana in Seville, Spain. January 2015: (1) A 21-year-old South African woman died after falling from Northcliff Hill, Johannesburg, as a male companion was setting up a tripod for a selie. Reports vary as to the identity of the companion. (2) Two young men died in the Ural Mountains as they pulled the pin from a hand grenade to take a selie, which remained as evidence of the circumstances of their deaths. (3) Three Indian students aged 20 to 22 died trying to take a ‘daredevil selie’ close to an oncoming train. March 2015: Seven Indian youths drowned while taking selies on Mangrul Lake near Kuhi, about 20 km from Nagpur, India. Their boat had tipped over as they were standing up to pose. May 2015: (1) An 18-year-old Romanian teenager died when she attempted to take the ‘ultimate selie,’ posing with a friend on top of a train in the northeastern Romanian city of La฀i when she touched a live wire above, sending an electrical surge of up to 27,000 volts through her body. A 17-year-old friend who accompanied her was hospitalized. (2) A teenager

MOBILITY FEBRUARY 2016

climbed on a railway bridge in the Ryazan region in Russia to take a selie and died when he came in contact with live wires. (3) A 21-year-old Russian woman asked a security guard at her ofice to give her a 9-millimeter rubber-bullet pistol for taking a selie and accidentally shot herself in the head, sustaining heavy injuries. (4) A 21-year-old man from Yogyakarta, Indonesia, fell into the crater of Mount Merapi and died, while attempting to take a selie. (5) A Singaporean tourist died after falling into the sea while taking a selie on a cliff in Nusa Lembongan, an island off the coast of Bali, Indonesia. July 2015: (1) A 21-year-old Russian university graduate died after falling from a bridge while she was trying to take a memorable selie next to Moscow City inancial district. (2) A man from San Diego was hospitalised for ive days following an attempt to take a selie with a rattlesnake. August 2015: A man died in the annual bull running festival in the town of Villaseca de la Sagra trying to take a selie with the animals. September 2015: A 19-year-old from Houston died after trying to take an Instagram selie while holding a loaded gun to his head. He accidentally ired the gun and shot himself in the throat. October 2015: A 14-year-old from Barcelona died from electrocution after trying to take a selie on the roof of a train car. November 2015: Two engineering students of Vadhvan, Gujarat, India drowned in Narmada Canal after slipping down the bank while taking selies. December 2015: 22 years old Jamshaid son of a railway employee of Rawalpindi, Pakistan died while attempting to take a selie while standing on the track in front of a moving train. January 2015: A 19-year old student fell from the top of a 20-story apartment building in Manila, Philippines while taking a selie. According to her classmate, “she was not satisied with the photos they had taken so she decided to climb up the parapet wall”. February 2015: A 16-year old boy was killed by a passenger train while taking a selie with the approaching train in Chennai, India.

AT LAST

Taking selies is a famous trend among the youth today. After seeing the obsession, providers are coming with selie-special smartphones to attract youth, with new innovations every month. Also as the selie-craze is increasing, so are the accidents related to selie shooting. Along with zeal, it is necessary selie-takers need to exercise caution: shoot well … shoot safely.

30 32

MAKE IN INDIA

“We want ADCOM to be among top 10 Indian mobile brands in coming years” Sanjeev Bhatia, Founder and Chairman, ADCOM “Make in India concept is a very proactive move from the central government. We have already started assembling and manufacturing in India from April 2015 and we are adding more assembly lines. Manufacturing in India will help to retain a big chunk of money within our country which otherwise has been going out as foreign exchange. In the coming years many foreign companies are expected to set up their manufacturing plants in India.”

DCOM is a tablets and mobile phones importer and distributor in India. Advantage Computers (ADCOM), established in 1997, is a complete IT-components & communication technology company. The company is known in the Industry for launching innovative and competitive products at competitive prices with excellent service support. ADCOM is also the exclusive National Distributor for the ZOPO brand smartphones. Sanjeev Bhatia, Founder and Chairman, ADCOM, comments, “As as far as mobiles are concerned, we started in 2012 with feature phones and progressively added more features and smart phone models. Right now under the ADCOM brand, we have 30 models of feature phones and 8 models of smart phones. In the coming quarter, we will be launching 10 more models of features and 4 models of smart phones. The new smart phones will be 4G-enabled, but we are keeping them in the affordable range of under Rs 8,000. In the next quarter, we want to sell 3-4 lakh handsets of ADCOM brand.”

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With their head ofice at New Delhi, they have a pan-India sales & service presence through their 20 billing points. ADCOM brand covers 3 major product categories--IT Accessories, tablets and smart phones. The brand has earned a high reputation amongst its end users by offering extraordinary quality at affordable prices backed up by eficient system of after sales service and customer support. The company is renowned for its fair and ethical business policy and strategies. ADCOM smart phones have some unique features and value additions like free cloud space, free anti-virus, best software, etc. Mr Bhatia adds, “As far as ZOPO distribution is concerned “Now we are present in 20 cities in India and in the coming months, we want to expand our presence to 100 cities. We have our own, not third party, 200 plus service centers manned by dedicated professionals. We have statewisestockists, city wise distributors and we want to reach out to 5000 retailers in the coming months. Right now most of our sales for feature phones are via ofline channel and for smart phones via online. We give the best possible promotion and service support to our channel. We keep product display boards at the retail shops. We keep advertising

in magazines and newspapers. And then we also hire PR agencies in every city to promote our products and services.” ADCOM has its product R&D centre consisting of trained, qualiied engineers in Delhi to develop and test all the products keeping in mind the quality, latest speciications, customer-friendly technology, etc. This activity ensures the standard and technology at par with the international standards and wonderful experience for the users. Regarding Make in India initiative from the central government Mr Bhatia comments, “Make in India concept is a very proactive move from the central government. We have already started assembling and manufacturing in India from April 2015 and we are adding more assembly lines. Manufacturing in India will help to retain a big chunk of money within our country which otherwise has been going out as foreign exchange. In the coming years many foreign companies are expected to set up their manufacturing plants in India. Grey market with very poor quality products has been a big nuisance both for the white market providers as well as to the customers. Now consumers will get India-made quality products at lower prices. Make in India concept, further aided by BIS, will inish the grey market. Of course there is

an elaborate documentation and certiication process to set up plant under Make in India, but for those who are serious about Making in India on long-term basis, that is no issue.” ADCOM’s vision is to make itself a respectable and lovable brand in the country by changing the life of people by launching high quality innovative technology products at affordable prices. About ADCOM’s strategy and vision Mr Bhatia clariies, “Many brands have entered and many big brands have wound up. A brand which persists and determined will survive. We have active marketing people and service centers across the country. It shows how serious we are. Next we keep changing according to the market needs supported by top class service. We want to be among the top Indian brands in the coming years.”

MOBILITY FEBRUARY 2016

APPS

12-WHATSAPP-SECRET-FEATURESYOU-MIGHT-DIDNT-KNOW-ABOUT 1. Change the Whats App chat wallpaper by going to the “Wallpaper” option in that chat menue. 2. Save photos you have received. The images and videos that you are sent in WahtsApp chats remaind stored on your device in the WhatsApp\media\WhatsApp Images folder. 3. In Android you can view this images in the Gallery, and can share them on Facebook and also apply them as contact photos also. 4. In iOS, WhatsApp images are stored in the Photos app. 5. Make backup of your WhatsApp conversations: Go to the settings menu, choose chat preferences, then click on the chat history backup options. iPhone users get the option of backing their chat history in iCloud automatically. 6. Create shortcuts in the WhatsApp conversations: Choose “More” in the chat menu and tap the “Add conversation shortcut” option. 7. Send much more then text: You can also send pictures, voice messages, videos, location and contacts. 8. Change your WhatApp status: Status option in the main option menu, and you can type and change. 9. Broadcast a WhatsApp message to many contacts: Select the “Broadcast message” option in the more menu and select the contacts you want to send it to. 10. If you want to see the exact time when they read the message: Go to any of your WhatsApp chats, tap and hold on any of the messages you’ve sent in that chat, followed by the Info option. For iOS users, you can also drag towards the left to reveal a window which will show the time your message was delivered and subsequently read.

11. STAYING SELECTIVELY NOTIFIED Not all group chats are created equal, as some are illed with nothing but white noise. And it’s exactly those group chats you want to ignore until you get some down time to sieve through everything that’s been said. On the lipside, there are the group chats you want to stay on top of like ones deciding dinner plans for the night and so on. Here’s how you can stay selectively notiied. How: Go to the signiicant group chats, tap on the name to bring up Group Info and then Custom Notiications. There, you can select a custom message alert for the group chats of your choice. All you have to do now is remember which alert tone you assigned to which group chat. This customisation is only applicable for group chats though. 12. SAVING MEDIA When you’re on a 1GB data plan, every MB counts. You don’t want to be slapped with a hefty bill at the end of the month from sending stupid shareable memes and screenshots of every little thing. There’s a way to make sure that all that heavy-duty image sending won’t eat up what little complimentary data you might have in your plan. How: Go to Settings, then Chat Settings and then AutoDownload and tweak the settings for how you want your received media to be downloaded. Choose Wi-Fi if you don’t want to overload your data plan. Alternatively, you can trigger downloads manually by switching AutoDownload to Never. You can also save the hassle of having to clean up your camera roll every so often by tweaking Save Incoming Media off.

MOBILITY FEBRUARY 2016

ANALYSIS

Mobile Internet will be Dominant Trend of 2016 The government’s Digital India initiative, collaboration among mobile Internet ecosystem stakeholders and innovative content & service offerings from mobile-based service players are going to be major drivers behind the growth of mobile Internet usage in 2016.

ndia is expected to have over 300 million mobile Internet users by end of 2017 from the current 159, according to Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and consultancy irm KPMG. The growth will be driven by the government’s Digital India initiative, collaboration among mobile Internet ecosystem stakeholders and innovative content and service offerings from mobile-based services players. According to International Data Corporation’s (IDC) Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, 25.6 million

smartphone shipments saw a sequential decline in the last quarter of the year. 2015 Q4 shipments dipped 11.9 percent over previous quarter owing to weaker shipments from key Indian players. However, full calendar year 2015 grew 28.8 percent to 103.6 million units, positioning India as one of the fastest growing smartphone market in Asia Paciic. Though India has low Internet penetration at 19% compared to developed economies that have up to 90% penetration, the country has the third-largest

smartphones were shipped in India in CY 2015 Q4 – up 15.4 percent from 22.2 million units for the same period last year. But, similar to last year,

Internet user base in the world, with more than 300 million users, of which more than 50% are mobile-only Internet users.

MOBILITY FEBRUARY 2016

The number of mobile Internet users in India is expected to grow to over 314 million by the end of 2017 with a CAGR (compounded annual growth rate) of around 28% for the period 20132017 according to the report from KPMG. This impressive growth would drive India to become one of the leading Internet markets in the world with more than 50% of Internet user base being mobile-only Internet users. Digital India

programme encompasses providing Internet access to all by creating infrastructure, delivering government services on the Web and mobile phone, to promote digital literacy and increase electronic manufacturing capability. In the 2014-15 union budget, the government committed Rs. 500 crore for building infrastructure, as per the National Rural Internet and Technology Mission, with an additional Rs. 100 crore for improving e-governance with an aim to increase tele-density in rural areas.

The content as well as service providers have emerged as important stakeholders in the growth of mobile Internet. Meaningful and compelling content can be an important driver for enabling adoption of mobile Internet. Traditional services like voice, SMS, etc are gradually being replaced by mobile data services. Indian mobile content usage is dominated by email,

social networking, chat, games and news. While these categories gained popularity because they fulil multiple needs of consumers, the positive social and economic impact of the Internet is probably manifold. Today mobile phones are among the greatest media of change—enabling people to access inancial services, health services, etc in rural and urban areas. On the consumer side, increase in smartphone penetration and increasing demand for Internet-based services such as chat, social media, video and music through the mobile medium will accelerate growth in mobile Internet

usage. India has become the second-largest smartphone market in the world and the number of smartphone users is expected to reach 400 million by 2018. With the increasing number of mobile device connections, India is likely to become one of the largest Internet markets in the world. While rural India is still catching up 2G, telecom

operators pitching strongly on high speed 3G and 4G technologies to tap the growing demand in urban India. The number of 3G subscribers in India is expected to grow to 280 million by the end of 2017 from 40 million at the end of

2013. Meanwhile, 4G user base is projected to grow substantially from 2016. However, there are some challenges in the mobile Internet ecosystem that could impede growth. Telecom operators ind cash-strapped while making heavy investments for upgrading network infrastructure due to high license fees, charges and levies which can total up to 30% of their total revenue, as per the reports. Also there are uncertainties

cant challenges including slower and overloaded telecom networks, experimentation with monetization models and underdeveloped billing & customercare systems. The other impediment is ‘limited collaboration between the different players of the ecosystem with each player trying to meet the challenges of demand, supply and customer- satisfaction headon by itself,’ according to reports.

and ambiguities around regulations and policies primarily concerning merger and acquisition guidelines, spectrum management and tax regulations that are adding up to the woes of Telco’s. The content and service providers, despite being drivers of cutting-edge innovations, face signii-

To overcome various challenges, the business models of various companies in the ecosystem would need to be redeined. AT LAST Today India is the 2nd largest user of smartphones and it is no surprise the Internet users over mobile phones has surpassed that of Internet users on PCs. The trend is expected to increase in the coming years. Mobile Internet is used not only to download and watch movies and songs, but also for plethora inancial transactions and other services. With providers coming with more and more apps and network moving from 3G to 4G, the trend is only going to accelerate further. MOBILITY FEBRUARY 2016

EVENT

Samsung Forum 2016 Displays ConsumerCentric Innovations to Make Tomorrow Smarter

ontinuing to bring products that shape the future of human-gadget interactions; and usher in the next phase, Samsung Electronics showcased a number of products at the Forum 2016. Focused on a smarter Tomorrow, With ConsumerCentric Innovations Samsung Electronics showcased a range of smart and category re-deining product portfolio, from smartphones to visual and digital appliances at Samsung Southwest Asia Forum 2016 in Kuala Lumpur. Samsung Forum provides exciting opportunities to exchange information.

Key focus of Samsung for 2016 Samsung focus for the year 2016 is to bring pathbreaking technologies, innovative products, best-in-industry designs and products that set benchmarks in their respective categories. Make for India: Samsung Electronics is committed to ‘Make for India’, its regional initiative for product innovation. Through its broad customer centric product range, Samsung continues to bring consumers seamless navigation, intuitive control and smart solutions into the home and workplace. ‘Make for India’ will continue to be a strong focus area for Samsung Southwest Asia and they will continue to introduce path-breaking innovations across various categories of products through the year. Manufacturing and R&D: With tow manufacturing plants and four R&D facilities that employ close to 45,000 people, Southwest Asia is one of the biggest R&D hubs and a key regions for Samsung. In the course of 2015, Southwest Asia has seen the launch of some of the most iconic products –

from the lagship Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 edge, Galaxy S6 edge+ and Galaxy Note5 in the Smartphone segment to the SUHD TVs in consumer electronics. India also witnessed the global unveiling of the Tizen powered Samsung Z1 and Samsung Z3 smartphones. “Samsung is committed to providing progressive and meaningful innovations that make everyday living better for our discerning consumers,” said Mr. HC Hong, President and CEO, Southwest Asia, Samsung Electronics. Smartphones: Samsung announced two 4G-enabled smartphones, Galaxy A5 (2016) and Galaxy A7 (2016 which are 2016 editions of the highly successful Galaxy A series with premium design and improved features. With sophisticated

MOBILITY FEBRUARY 2016

glass and metal design, an advanced camera, inger print sensor, improved processor, LTE CAT 6 and long-lasting battery, the Galaxy A7 (2016) and Galaxy A5 (2016), are designed keeping in mind the young consumers who wish to express their individuality. Visual Devices: Samsung India unveiled its spectacular new line of SUHD TVs which offer unparalleled picture quality with Quantum dot display, state-of-the-art design with the world’s irst bezel-less curved design and a new easy and integrated Smart TV experience powered by Tizen OS, ushering in a

new decade of global TV leadership Samsung’s 2016 SUHD TVs offer its viewers an unparalleled viewing experience with the revolutionary Quantum dot display technology. It is the world’s only cadmium-free, 10-bit Quantum dot display, offering the most true-to-life picture quality, with stunning brightness, exceptional contrast and the most life-like colors ever offered by Samsung. This year, all of Samsung’s SUHD TVs will feature the ability to provide a premium high dynamic range (HDR) experience, with 1000 nit brightness for a higher level of contrast between light and dark images. Samsung also introduced many revolutionary technologies in its refrigerator category, air conditioner series, washing machines and in its oven segment.

Date of Pub: 10th February, 2016 | Postal Dt.: 27th & 28th of same Month/ Posted at NDPSO

R.N.I. No. DELENG/2004/14198

Postal Reg. No.: DL(S)-01/3442/2016-18