Mobility Monthly Magazine
July 2015
Issue 07
Volume 11
Pages 52
20
www.mobilityindia.com
beyond technology, beyond lifestyle
DIGITAL INDIA OPPORTUNITIES
BEYOND IMAGINATION
PREMIUM
AUDIO
5 BUDGET
ROUTERS
CONTENTS
4
22
DIGITAL INDIA : OPPORTUNITIES BEYOND IMAGINATION
Cover Story
NEWS 8 TELE NEWS
12
TELE TALK
14
LAUNCHPAD 16 ANALYSIS 18 Biggest Mobile Threats of 2015
FEATURED 20 Sumit Goswami CEO, KeyPoint Technologies
COVER STORY 22 Digital India : Opportunities beyond magination
Q&A 32 Kishore Balaji, Country Manager – Corporate Affairs, Intel South Asia
INTERVIEW
34
Gaganmeet Singh, Managing Director, BeoWorld
CURTAIN RAISER
36
First Delhi edition of AV Install + Integration Expo and PALM Pro Sound & Light Expo will showcase latest industry trends and emerging technologies
REVIEW 38 Budget routers to go online with wireless devices in Office and Home
CONSUMER ALERT
41
7 Tips from Trend Micro to Secure your Android Devices
GLOBAL EVENT
42
Mobile World & TouchChina Expo 2015 was held on a Grand Scale
PORTFOLIO 44 Zebronics expands bluetooth Headphone range with Airwalk 2
ADVERTORIAL 46 Celkon Mobiles Continues to Expand its Reach in Haryana
BUDGET BRAND
48
“We always try to give handsets with something special backed by good quality and excellent service support at competitive price points “: Trio mobiles
APPS Apps for your good health and wellness
50
Editor : Chief Editor : Associate Editor (Tech,) : Asst. Editor : Art Director : Creative Head : Acct. & Finance : Marketing Manager : Marketing Executives : Circulation Manager : Production : System Manager :
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 P. Biswas Ashish Ghosh Ashok Kumar Paul Ajay Biswas
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 Kolkata: 105/12B, Dum Dum Road, Sil Colony, Kolkata-74 Contact: 09330922965; 09903392620 E-mail : roy@ mobilityindia.com Orissa: Krushna Nagar, 5th Lane, Lalji Palli, Berhampur-760008 (Orissa) (India) Contact : Raj Kumar-09338410809 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 : edit@mobilityindia.com roy@ mobilityindia.com Marketing : tridip@mobilityindia.com marketing@mobilityindia.com Info : info@mobilityindia.com Subscribe : subscription@ mobilityindia.com
www.mobilityindia.com ERRATA: In the June 2015 issue of Mobility, page 18 the CPP was wrongly quoted.
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EDITORIAL
Digital India Set To Change the Way Common man Interacts with Government
EDITOR’S CHOICE InFocus M810
The US-based tech pioneer, is here to take the market by storm with its peerlessly stunning visual appeal. The phone is ultrathin 6.99 metal frame encases the 5.5 inch full HD screen. The unique crown-shaped power key further accentuates the refined and outstanding design language that the M810 encompasses. with the quad-core high speed performance and the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor with exclusive Inlife UI. Equipped with a 13 MP main camera with a true tone LED flash and a 5 MP front camera. The full-HD big screen with ultra-thin technology enables a spectacular display and viewing experience. The device comes with a 16 GB internal memory which is expandable to 64 GB and 2 GB RAM. It features Android Lollipop 5.0 OS and is available in gold color. For those to whom looks matter the most, the InFocus M810 is a good choice.
The Digital India is an ambitious programme of the Government of India launched by PM Narendra Modi with a vision to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy, where common man could interact with the government in a straighter, faster and efficient manner. Once it expands widely to cover the length and breadth of the country, it is expected to reduce delays and corruption; and enhance efficiency and transparency. Digital India aims to provide the much needed thrust to the nine pillars of growth areas, namely, Broadband Highways, Universal Access to Mobile Connectivity, Public Internet Access Programme, e-Governance--Reforming Government through Technology, e-Kranti—Electronic Delivery of Services, Information for All, Electronics Manufacturing, IT for Jobs and Early Harvest Programs. Digital India does have some challenges like tech usage needs to be made more pervasive and the common man should be made to learn how to use and like technology. There is an urgent need to build customized and localized technology solutions for solving India’s problems and driving large scale adoption of technology in India. There will be hiccups initially, but within a few years time Digital India is set to change the way India people will start using technology.
Swapan Roy roymobility@gmail.com
www.mobilityindia.com
Mobility July 2015
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Mobility July 2015
NEWS
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Ubuntu to Ship on Lenovo Laptops in OnePlus Cardboard VR Headset on India Sale on Amazon
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anonical announced that Lenovo will be shipping Ubuntu preloaded devices starting with ThinkPad L450 laptop series starting early July 2015. The laptops will be available to purchase from selected commercial resellers and distributors throughout the region at prices starting from INR 40,000. This marks another milestone in the global adoption of Ubuntu, and is the first joint launch between Lenovo and Canonical in India – another OEM coming into the fold in a region where Ubuntu already possesses a strong foothold. The ThinkPad L450 laptop models are durable yet sleekly designed machines with stunning 14’’ HD displays. They offer powerful cutting edge processing with Intel Core i3 5005U and i5 52000U processors, in addition to 4GB RAM and 500GB hard drives. The ThinkPad L450 laptop series will come preloaded with Ubuntu 14.04 (the long term support version) which affords support and maintenance for five years from release date. In addition to long-term support, Ubuntu 14.04 comes with touch screen enhancements and works seamlessly on hiDPI monitors.
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he OnePlus Cardboard will go on sale from the third week of July on Amazon India at Rs 99. The OnePlus Cardboard will help users get the virtual reality experience. The OnePlus 2 smartphone to be launched this month will be the first flagship to be launched completely in VR. The company believes that the OnePlus Cardboard will help drive the idea of virtual reality forward. The Cardboard is made of a stronger and thicker material and has an added high-quality velcro for maximum durability. OnePlus Cardboard is also compatible with most devices up to 6-inches in size. OnePlus 2 will have Type C-USB port and Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 v2.1 processor. The Type C-USB supports various new USB standards like USB 3.1 and USB power delivery (USB PD). It also supports HDMI, DisplayPort, VGA with adapters.
Samsung’s Tizen-Powered Z1 Touches Sales of 1 Million Units
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amsung India Electronics has sold a record 1 million Tizen-powered Samsung Z1 smartphones since its launch in January 2015. The easy-to-use smartphone was developed keeping the unique needs of Indian consumers in mind. The new device addresses key barriers such as short battery life and a complicated user interface. Samsung Z1 was designed to appeal to the millions of feature phone users in India while addressing their need for an easy-to-use smartphone. Samsung has thus been able to reach this milestone in less than six months from launch in the highly competitive entry-level Smartphone segment. Asim Warsi, Vice President--Marketing, Mobile and IT, Samsung India, said, “Our insights have shown that consumers hesitate to move beyond the familiar basic and simple interaction with their mobile devices. Keeping this in mind, Samsung Z1 features an easy-to-use UI that offers a smooth and fast experience to ensure a seamless migration to smartphones. Samsung Z1 combines a great feature set along with a rapidly growing app ecosystem to offer consumers a differentiated smartphone experience. We are happy to see the response the device has received and will continue to grow the range for Tizen- powered smartphones.” Built on the Tizen platform that also powers products like Samsung televisions, cameras and Samsung wearable devices, the Samsung Z1 delivers a faster boot time and enhanced
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web performance to offer users faster page loading times with decreased data usage. The Samsung Z1 also features ‘Ultra Power Saving Mode’ to ensure users can enjoy an uninterrupted smartphone experience and stay connected, even at minimal battery levels. The software and user interface of the Tizen platform has been developed at Samsung’s Bangalore R&D lab, and the Z1 smartphones are manufactured in the Noida facility. Samsung Z1 is an example of Samsung’s most recent India-centric innovations that showcase the company’s efforts towards making for India. Samsung is dedicated to improving the lives of consumers through its constant pursuit of ground-breaking innovations and value creation and has launched products that are specifically designed for the Indian consumers.
IndiaMART Appoints Mudit Khosla as Sr VP
ndiaMART announced the appointment of Mudit Khosla as Senior Vice President, Brand Solutions Group. As an integral part of the company’s leadership team, Mudit will be a visionary for devising innovative strategies and managing effective implementation of the same for smooth functioning of the Big Brands associated with IndiaMART. With over 16 years of rich experience in building e-commerce companies from scratch and scaling them up rapidly, Mudit has played a key role in setting up of Indiatimes Shopping. He was also a part of the core founding team of Yatra.com and has served as CEO at reputed organizations like Seventymm.com and Tradus. com (ibibo Group). Speaking on the new appointment, Dinesh Agarwal, Founder & CEO, IndiaMART, said, “I am extremely pleased to announce the appointment of Mudit Khosla to our leadership team. Mudit would play a pivotal role in driving the company’s strategy to cater to the
Mobility July 2015
sourcing and selling requirements of the big organizations. He brings with him rich, varied and elaborate knowledge in the domain of Business Development and Brand Building which will be instrumental in taking IndiaMART to the next pedestal. His wealth of experience in transforming online marketplaces will prove to be an asset for IndiaMART.” Mudit Khosla, Sr. VP, Brand Solutions Group, IndiaMART
NEWS
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Gemalto and ZTE Jointly Present Remote Subscription Management on Consumer Devices
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emalto teamed up with ZTE Corporation showcase Gemalto’s LinqUs On-Demand Connectivity (ODC) subscription management solution on ZTE smartphones, at Mobile World Congress Shanghai. Based on interoperable standards, this proof-of-concept demonstrates how a consumer device with embedded SIM can securely connect to a mobile network, anytime and anywhere, using Over-The-Air remote provisioning. Gemalto is actively working with mobile operators, device manufacturers and SIM vendors worldwide to promote open standards that can reduce complexities of connected consumer device deployments. With this solution, users can now seamlessly activate connectivity on their devices by choosing any operator and adapted tariff plan based on their preferences and location. They can have the flexibility to dynamically add a wide variety of connected devices on-the-go, or switch to local operators for lower rates when traveling.
Saavn Announces $100M to Update its Mobile Products
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s India becomes the leading market for Android handset growth, Saavn is leading in music app installs and adding monthly over 1 million active users. Since announcing 11 million monthly active users in Q1 2015, the company has increased its monthly active user base to 14 million users. Saavn is positioned to cross 20 million users by the end of the year. The company has just released a major update to its Android product, with an iOS update to follow in the coming weeks. The company is also working with teams at Microsoft to launch Saavn on Windows in August 2015. In addition to Tiger Global Management, existing investors Bertelsmann India Investments, Steadview Capital, Liberty Media and Mousse Partners are participating in Saavn’s Series C round. The company is also adding new global investors Quilvest, additional Hong Kong-based hedge funds, and a number of strategic individuals in this round. Advisory for the round was led by Avendus Capital in Mumbai and LionTree Advisors in New York.
Celkon Inaugurates its Indian Manufacturing Plant in India Celkon launched its Indian state-of-the–art manufacturing facility in Medchal located adjacent to the Medchal industrial estate, Telangana. Minister for IT and Pachayat Raj, Mr. K. Taraka Rama Rao (KTR) inaugurated the unit along with Mr. Y Guru, CMD, Celkon Mobiles and Mr. Murali Retineni, Executive Director, Celkon Mobiles. The move also comes in timely with the Govt of India’s ‘Make in India’ initiative. The manufacturing unit is 30,000 Sq ft in area and is ready to start production from Day 1, making Celkon the first brand to start operations in the state. The unit will start with 4 production lines which will deliver a production capacity of 2 lakh units per month. The production lines will be increased to 12 and the production is expected to touch 5 lakh units per month with-in the next quarter. Additionally the state-of-the-art facility will also contain a 10,000 Sq ft warehouse for raw materials and a 5000 Sq ft warehouse for finished products. Around 60% of the mobile phones manufactured in the facility will comprise of feature phones and the rest will be smartphones. The facility is ISO Certified. Commenting during the inauguration of the unit Mr. Y Guru, Chairman and Managing Director, Celkon Mobiles, said, “We are elated to be amongst the first few smartphone players starting our manufacturing operations in India. We envision the country to become a hub for manufacturing cutting-
edge devices and have been actively pursuing the cause for the last few years. Being a part of the central govt’s ‘Make in India’ initiative, we feel that our manufacturing operations in India are beginning on a high note. This also comes in at a time when India is poised to become the largest consumer base for mobile phones and we are all set to bring-in the new phase of growth at Celkon.” Celkon’s new manufacturing unit will employ 500 people consisting of trained and skilled technicians. Moreover, the facility will result into a direct significant cost and quality benefit for the consumers. Celkon has many new and exciting devices lined up for launch this year, some of which will be resulting out of this facility.
Dell Launches Multi-City Channel Partner Roadshow for Vostro 3000 Series
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ell announced the start of a multi city channel roadshow to launch and train partners on its next generation of Vostro notebooks. Dell will be meeting partners in 8 cities that include: Pune, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Delhi, Patna and Bhubaneshwar. The roadshow, beginning on July 14 in Pune aims at empowering & energising Dell’s Small & Medium Business channel partners to address evolving customer requirements.
Mobility July 2015
The event is designed to directly engage with the Small & Medium Business channel to help them get a better understanding of the newly upgraded version of the Vostro series. Through this engagement the company also strives to empower partners with additional sales support to maximize their profitability and ensure high levels of customer satisfaction. Dell’s widespread channel network of 6000+ partners is an integral part of the Small & Medium business operations and this initiative is aimed at strengthening this harmony.
Mobility July 2015
TELE NEWS
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COAI stands proud on the nationwide rollout of Mobile Number Portability COAI, the leading Mobile Communications Association representing seven of the largest mobile service operators and the majority of telecom equipment manufacturers as well as ther communication services and product companies in India, stands very proud,
on the successful nationwide rollout of Mobile Number Portability (MNP) today, which will allow customers to keep their existing mobile phone numbers while shifting between States and circles. Implementation of Pan-India mobile number portability services has been one of the important points of the National Telecom Policy 2012. After culmination of network and IT upgradation followed by comprehensive call flow and process flow testing involving more than 175 networks across the 22 Licenced Service Areas, Industry has successfully accomplished this complex
Tata Teleservices appoints Anuraag Srivastava as CFO
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ata Teleservices Limited, today announced the appointment of Anuraag Srivastava as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the company. Anuraag brings with him over 20 years of experience as a finance professional, with the last decade spent in leadership roles in Finance in consumer goods and telecom businesses in multiple geographies across India , USA , UK and South Asia . Prior to this, he served Indus Towers as Senior Vice President of Internal Audit and Assurance. Before that, he has held significant positions at Future Axiom Telecom Limited and Glaxo Smithkline as well. Taking on the new role, Mr. Anuraag Srivastava said, “I’m excited to be a part of Tata Teleservices that has established itself as a trusted and one of the most relied upon innovative telecom brand in the country and is rapidly scaling its businesses across the markets. These are exciting times for the telecom industry and Tata Teleservices is at the heart of this evolution. I look forward to working closely with the management team to capitalise on the company’s impending growth opportunities.”
Mobility July 2015
and mammoth mission to ensure enhanced customer satisfaction and competition in the Indian market. Mr. Rajan S. Mathews, Director General, COAI said, “It is proud moment for Indian Telecom Industry on the successful implementation of nationwide mobile number portability (MNP) from today by the combined effort of the Ministry of Communication, TRAI and the Telecom Industry. We would also like to thank Department of Telecommunication, Government of India for their support that expedite the implementation in a smooth manner to bring to the mobile users, the convenience of changing their service provide, while moving between States without, having to change their mobile numbers.” He further added that mobile subscribers should acknowledge and appreciate that while charging world’s lowest voice rates, mobile operators, have made huge investment for upgradation of network, procurement of hardware, software etc. for the benefit of consumer choice. It is time that the telecommunication Industry should be acknowledged for being the main propeller of socio-economic development in the country that contributes 3.5% to India’s GDP while providing employment to over 20 lack people indirectly across the country. The pan-India roll-out of MNP services has given mobile subscribers FREEDOM OF CHOICE.
Vodafone rolls-out National Mobile Number Portability from July 3
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odafone India, one of India’s leading telecommunications service providers, today announced the launch of National Mobile Number Portability (NMNP), aligning with the Government’s mandate to roll-out pan-India Mobile Number Portability services from July 3, 2015. The National Mobile Number Portability service facilitates customers to carry their existing mobile number from one telecom circle to another across India and choose the operator of their choice.NMNP is applicable to all pre-paid and post-paid customers. Customers looking for the convenience of retaining their existing number at the new location can avail the benefits of National MNP service. Vodafone India has a pan India base of over 184 million customers serviced through a network of over 130,000 sites, of which over 35,000 are 3G sites. This makes Vodafone India, the 5th largest network in the world. Vodafone also has the largest retail footprint with over 9800 exclusive retail stores across India. Commenting about the initiative, Vivek Mathur, Chief Commercial Officer, Vodafone India said, “Customers will be the biggest gainers of the National MNP service as it allows them to carry their existing number across India and also choose the operator of their choice. Vodafone has benefited from the intra-circle MNP that was rolled out in 2011 and we look forward to a similar response this time.”
Mobility July 2015
TELE TALK
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NxtGen Raises $13.5 mil from IFC, Axon Partners and Intel Capital NxtGen has made great achievements in just three years and the data centre market offers huge opportuanities for investors right now
A S Rajgopal, CEO, NxtGen
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xtGen Datacentre & Cloud Technologies, the IT infrastructure services company, headquartered in Bengaluru, has raised $13.5 million from International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group; international investment firm, Axon Partners Group; and Intel Corporation’s global investment organization, Intel Capital; as part of series B funding for expansion activity. The financing will be used to complete a high density data centre facility in Bangalore and increase further investments into cloud infrastructure. NxtGen currently has two data centres in India – in Mumbai and Bengaluru – and has offices in four major metros Bengaluru, Mumbai, Chennai and Delhi. It has 105 employees and 200+ channel partners taking its services to market. “This second round of funding will enable us to further strengthen our growth plans in India and initiate our international strategy. We are thankful to Intel for reinforcing their commitment in us and participating in the second round. Both IFC and Axon, bring in a wealth of global market experience to guide us in this rapid growth phase. We look forward to delivering increased value proposition to our customers globally,” said A S Rajgopal, CEO, NxtGen. Congratulating NxtGen on this new partnership, Atul Mehta, IFC Director for Telecom, Media, and Technology, Venture Capitals and Funds, said, “Affordable and effective IT infrastructure colocation and cloud computing services are increasingly important for digital inclusion and economic development. Built to top industry standards, NxtGen’s data centers will support India’s growing need for data consumption, incur capital savings for businesses
Mobility July 2015
and boost direct and indirect job creation.” The Telecom, Media & Technology (TMT) group at IFC focuses its investments on mobile, broadband and infrastructure sharing. Independent datacenters fit well into IFC’s strategy as they are an integral critical component of the telecom infrastructure, and allow for the evolution of an IT ecosystem in local economies. IFC’s TMT group has invested in five other datacenter companies in emerging markets - GDS/EDC-China, Teraco-South Africa, iXcellerate-Russia, DeNovo-Ukraine and Zenium-Turkey. Francisco Velázquez de Cuéllar, President of Axon Partners Group, said, “NxtGen has made great achievements in just three years and the data centre market offers huge opportunities for investors right now. At Axon, we look primarily at the team behind the business and in NxtGen we have found an experienced team with the professionalism and skill to take the company to the next stage of growth and lead its international expansion. Axon Partners Group specializes in growth capital investments in the digital technology market and will take the position of international corporate partner of NxtGen, using its international presence and expertise within emerging markets to support the company in its international growth plans, specifically into Latin America and the Middle East. NxtGen is Axon’s second investment in the cloud technology sector, having invested in O4IT, a leading cloud technology services company in Latin America, in 2014. Axon is investing with its India Opportunities Fund, which has also invested in companies like iYogi and Captronics Systems, and recently performed a successful exit of JustEat India.
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LAUNCHPAD
vivo V1 Smartphone Launched The smartphone vivo V1 with its unique Funtouch 2.1 Operating System is based on Android Lollipop 5.0. It features the advanced Qualcomm Snapdragon, 64-bit Octa-Core processor. The 2 GB RAM and 16 GB ROM along with 4G LTE network support allows users to download unlimited music, movies and games, surfing and sharing faster and smoother. The five-inch full HD screen provides high-clarity visual delight to the viewer from wide viewing angles. In the mid-segment category, vivo V1 has the highest long-lasting 2300 mAh battery with Battery Stamina Mode that keeps the smartphone going for much longer. The ultra slim curvy design blends perfectly with engineering precision to present a perfect smartphone. The metallic frame and durable tempered glass panel showcases superior craftsmanship. Currently the colors available in India are Silver & Gold. The 13 megapixel rear and 5 megapixel wide-angle front cameras with 6P lenses and F2.0 aperture minimize the noise in the picture. The cameras are designed to take vivid shots in both bright and dark environments. Helpful camera modes such as Night and Panorama make the photos more professional and interesting.
Micromax Launches BOLT D303 with Regional Language Support Micromax has recently launched its new budget smartphone dubbed as the Bolt D303 with a price tag of Rs 3499. With 4-inch WVGA display, the smartphone is powered by a 1.3 GHz dual-core processor couples with a 512 MB of RAM and runs on Android 4.4 KitKat. The Bolt D303 comes with a 3.2 MP rear camera and 0.3 MP front facing camera while users get 3G connectivity and support for up to 10 Indian languages. The new budget smartphone gets a 4 GB of in-built storage which can be expanded via microSD card up to 32 GB. Other specifications, as per reports, are WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB 2.0 and a 1300 mAh battery which seems to be of too low capacity to maintain the smartphone’s usage.
Intex Rolls out its Latest Aqua Y4 smartphone Intex launched Aqua Y4 smartphone for the Indian markets. According to reports, the device will be retailing at Rs. 4190. Intex Aqua Y4 comes with a 4.5-inch 480×854 display, 8.7 mm thickness, 132.5 gm weight, dual core 1 GHz Mediatek MT6572X processor, 5MP rear camera, 2MP front camera, 4GB internal storage which is expandable up to 32GB, 512MB RAM, Android 4.4.2 KitKat, 1,700 mAh battery and 3G connectivity with dual SIM support. The smartphone comes with a feature which allows to mute the ringtones by simply flipping down the handset. Apps like ASK ME, Quikr, Newshunt, Clean Master, Myntra, Start, Intex service, Opera Mini comes preinstalled. The handset will be sold in white, black, champagne and silver color variants when it is made available through retailers shortly.
Quantum Hi Tech Launches QHM 7307 Chocolate Mini Keyboard Aggressively priced at Rs. 325/- the keyboard is compatible with windows 98, 2000, ME, NT, XP, Vista, Linux, Window 7MS, Windows 98SE, Me, 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista® or Windows® 7 or Windows 8. Tagged with a 1 year warranty, the QHM 7307 is available across leading ecommerce portals and retail stores.
Mobility July 2015
Fujifilm Unveils Instax WIDE 300 Instant Camera Fujifilm unveils its latest edition of instant camera, the Instax WIDE 300, from its recently launched range of Instax series in India. The instax WIDE 300 is a perfect device for great photographic art work, business purposes, wedding photography, parties and other events. It encases a close-up lens for shots up to 40 cm from the subject. Twice as wide as the Instax mini film, it also covers many easy-to-use functions like Automatic flash for low light shooting that optimizes the luminescence according to the distance; fill-in flash by flash on button that enhances the photo using the back lighting; and Lighten and Darken control an exposure compensation enables the user to get the right mood. The ease of using the camera has been further enhanced with the Tripod socket useful for group photos, Focal Zoom Dial (90 cm – 3 m) and User friendly interface. Its shooting range is empowered with a real image finder 0.37 x with target spot and motor driven 2 range switching. Power packed with in built automatic electronic flash and Liquid Crystal Display, it has a capacity of 10 film packs. It weighs exactly 612 g without the batteries strap and film with dimensions measuring 167.8 X 94.7 X 120.9 mm.
LAUNCHPAD
Nikon India Launches its High-Performance AF-S DX NIKKOR 16-80mm F/2.8-4E ED VR Nikon India announced the launch of new AF-S DX NIKKOR 16-80MM F/2.8-4E ED VR, the world’s lightest 16-80mm DX-format lens with impressive optics features to enrich the photography experience. This is the first NIKKOR DX-format lens to employ various class-leading NIKKOR technology usually found in super telephoto lenses, including Nano Crystal Coat. The delightfully compact AF-S DX NIKKOR 16-80mm F/2.8-4E ED VR is a 5x normal zoom lens with f/2.8 aperture at the maximum wide-angle position, bringing together the best of functionality and compact packaging for street and travel photography aficionados. The fluorine-coated AF-S DX NIKKOR 16-80mm F/2.8-4E ED VR, a first in the range, is designed for DX-format users who desire speed, accuracy and superior image quality. A combination of three superior optical elements, the Nano Crystal Coat, aspherical lens, and Extra-low Dispersion (ED) lens elements, work in tandem for refined image quality with minimized ghosting and chromatic aberration. With a built-in Vibration Reduction (VR) providing an effect equivalent to a shutter speed 4.0 stops faster, and the first adoption of an electromagnetic aperture mechanism for resolute auto-exposure control in a DX-format lens, the AF-S DX NIKKOR 16-80mm F/2.8-4E ED VR prompts high-performance and remarkable quality.
Huawei Y336, Y541, Y625 and G620S Huawei announced its expansion in the Indian retail market with the launch of a new smartphones series. Bullish to expand its presence in the Indian smartphone market, the global smartphone major is all set to replicate the global strategy in India to keep up with its global number 3rd position. Newly launched Huawei Y336, Y541, Y625 and G620S will be available under its G & Y series between the price range of Rs. 5499- 9499.
Panasonic Eluga Z with 13-Megapixel Camera Launched Panasonic launched a new smartphone in India, the Eluga Z, priced at Rs. 13,490. The smartphone will be available in Champagne Gold, Ivory White, and Midnight Blue color variants, as per reports. The highlight of the smartphone is its ‘metal blade’ design, as well as support for 21 Indian regional languages. The dual-SIM Android 4.4.2 KitKat-based Panasonic Eluga Z features a 5-inch (720×1280 pixel) Amoled display, and is powered by a 1.4GHz octa-core processor (unspecified chipset) coupled with 2GB of RAM. The Panasonic Eluga Z sports a 13-megapixel rear camera with LED flash, and a 5-megapixel front facing camera. It bears 16GB of inbuilt storage that’s expandable via microSD card (up to 32GB). The smartphone is powered by a 2050 mAh battery that features fast charging support. The Eluga Z is 141.3×70.6×6.85mm and weighs 120 grams. Connectivity options on the Panasonic Eluga Z include 3G, USB OTG, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n with hotspot and direct functionality, GPS/ A-GPS, and Bluetooth 4.0 with EDR. The smartphone features an ambient light sensor, proximity sensor, ecompass, and accelerometer. It ships with a flip cover, protective case, and screen guard.
TP-LINK Announced 150Mbps TL-WR720N Wireless N Router TP-LINK announced their latest 150Mbps router in India, the TL-WR720N 150Mbps Wireless N Router. The TL-WR720N is a simple and secure way to share your high-speed Internet connection at Wireless-N speeds for surfing the Internet, email or online chat. Users can enjoy a high quality experience when video streaming, using VoIP or gaming online wirelessly, not previously practical with 11g devices. The TL-WR720N 150Mbps Wireless N Router provides up to 150Mbps wireless connection with other 802.11n wireless clients. The incredible speed makes it ideal for handling multiple data streams at the same time, which ensures your network stable and smooth. The performance of this 802.11n wireless Router will give you the unexpected networking experience at speed 650% w than 802.11g. It is also compatible with all IEEE 802.11g and IEEE 802.11b products. TL-WR720N supports up to 4 SSIDs. Yes you heard it right 4! It’s uniquely designed for users to set up additional wireless networks with additional SSIDs and passwords for guests or friends. This ensures users are safe and there are no performance conflicts with different networks. Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) Technology automatically avoids channel conflicts using its clear channel selection feature and fully realizes the advantages of channel binding, greatly enhancing wireless performance.
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ANALYSIS
BIGGEST MOBILE THREATS OF 2015
Mobility July 2015
ANALYSIS
T
rend Micro is a company with a simple yet ambitious goal to protect their users from cybercriminal activity. Every day, thousands of people browsing the Internet are in danger of being digitally assaulted. While there is no way to be one hundred percent safe from malwaare attacks; there are certainly, numerous ways to avoid them. The first step to being safe is to be informed, for which Trend Micro has launched its first quarterly Security Roundup. In this report, the most present threats up to this month are explicitly detailed and advice is given to both the companies and the customers on how to avoid the said malware threats. “Cyber threats are exponentially growing with every passing second and Trend Micro, in the hopes to better inform and prevent cyber attacks, has released in its first quarterly security roundup of the year, the main security risks that users have faced since the beginning of the year. This first quarter’s threats range from the exploits that Adobe Flash faced back in February, to applications ridden with Adware in Google Play, to point-of-sale malware attacks in retail stores,” said Dhanya Thakkar, Managing Director, APAC, Trend Micro.
and always will be, putting the users at risk; this is because the site owners cannot control the ads that are being seen by users. A major company was recently the target of this zero-day exploit, in which malvertising was sent out through Adobe software, so victims of this kind of attacks were no longer required to visit a specific website to infect their computers. In the first quarter of 2015, Adobe suffered from three different exploits that targeted each new release of Adobe Flash; in total, over 10,000 computers were infected with BEDEP malware. All the issues were quickly addressed by Trend Micro’s Deep Security Rule and removed traces of the malvertisement found in Adobe Flash. But, not only computers were targeted by these malicious attacks based on advertising, mobile devices were also affected. Adware was also found on several apps inside Google Play, these apps all used MDash software development kit; this made harmful apps present on all mobile devices that had any of these apps installed. According to the report, millions of devices were infected before Google took responsibility and removed over 2000 malicious apps.
In only three months, there have been some serious incidents that have put the user’s information and security at risk. Trend Micro states that the people behind malware will ‘not hesitate to take advantage of even the slightest security loophole to get what they want,’ and in today’s digitalized world, there should not be any room for this kind of errors.
Crypto-ransomware is another kind of malware that was highly prevalent during the year’s first quarter. The goal of this type of malware is to hold the user’s computer ‘hostage’ and restrict all access to it, until a ransom has been paid. Crypto-ransomware, not only targets the average consumer, it also takes aim at companies and their interactions, meaning that anyone that shared a link with the already infected computer, now has possibly became ill with crypto-ransomware.
Malvertisements are not in any way new, in fact, many Internet users have already become accustomed to them. Trend Micro, in this round-up report has revealed how a business model based on web advertising is,
In order to avoid crypto-ransomware, users can download and install specialized software that can stop a crypto-ransomware attack before it lock down your computer. It is uncertain the amount of malware that is released each month or quarters, as it is evolving at a similar pace.
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FEATURED
An award-winning global linguistics innovator enabling intelligent human communication beyond mobile devices Sumit Goswami
CEO, KeyPoint Technologies
What is unique about KPT that drew your attention to work with the company? KPT is an award-winning global linguistics innovator enabling intelligent human communication beyond mobile devices. The company is passionate about combining linguistics and technology to deliver better user experience across all types of connected devices.
Tell us about yourself and your stint at KPT. I am heading the global operations of KeyPoint Technologies (KPT) as the CEO and leading the company through various phases of innovation and disruption that will redefine human device communication through linguistic science, machine learning and data analytics. I have been with the firm since 2012 and my vision is to take search and discovery on mobile devices to the next level. Prior to joining KPT, I was the Country Head - India for Adaptive Mobile. I have also worked with Nuance Communications as the Head of Marketing and Business Development for APAC region. I have over 20 years of experience in Marketing, International Business Development, Product Management and Sales in competitive telecom markets in Asia, Europe and MEA region. I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli.
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KPT believes in the amalgamation of best minds in the industry who collectively work towards realizing the company’s vision. As IoT is bringing forth numerous devices to be connected, we are geared up to enable intelligent communication for all these devices. My confidence in the future of the organization is buttressed by KPT’s highlyskilled, passionate and young workforce engaged in developing cutting-edge mobile solutions that will redefine the mobile device landscape.
What are the various product offerings of KPT? KPT enables intelligent human communication across connected devices. Some of our key products are as follows: Adaptxt: An award-winning, smart, multilingual, predictive text application for iOS, Android and Amazon Fire devices. Adaptxt offers a fast, error-free and personalized input (typing) experience with region-based suggestions to create a unique contextual experience. It delivers enhanced input experience through word prediction, language suggestions, etc for mobile devices. With Adaptxt, users can access more than 90+ languages and 44 specialized dictionaries in professional and personal fields of interest including medicine, finance,
FEATURED
Yes, Xploree which is our latest offering for the Indian market is the country’s first Search & Discovery platform that can predict and connect mobile users to relevant brands & services in one tap across apps. With Xploree, mobile phone users, without exiting the current conversation app, can instantly explore options for movies, fine dining, shopping, etc. Brands through Xploree can connect with users in real-time to provide relevant services such as discount coupons, deals, onehop search and add greater value to the conversation, thus taking consumer engagement from a contextual to a hypercontextual realm. Leveraging KPT’s expertise in multi-lingual capabilities, Xploree which is now available in English for Android device users, will support nearly 140 languages (global and Indic) by December 2015.
How does Xploree business model work? Where does the revenue come from?
IT, law, business, popular sports, movies, seasonal themes and more. Users of all kinds can enjoy the personalized, localized content and suggestions offered by Adaptxt. Adaptxt has more than 1.8 million downloads till date. It is shipped on 50 million devices globally. Xploree: (Our latest offering for the Indian market) is industry’s first search & discovery platform that connects mobile users to the most relevant brands and services across search, messenger and other platforms without exiting the current conversation app. Leveraging KPT’s expertise in multi-lingual capabilities, Xploree which is now available in English for Android device users, will support nearly 140 languages (global and Indic) by December 2015. Completing an entire cycle of innovation, Xploree has emerged as the only intelligent, user-initiated and hypercontextual Search & Discovery platform in the mobile ecosystem. It predicts user needs during chat conversations and guides them through their mobile journey across apps through relevant content, deals and services discovery. Lipi: It is India’s first Indic keyboard for Android devices. Lipi supports 25 major Indic languages and 11 transliterated languages like Hinglish, Marathinglish, Punglish, Banglish, etc which empowers local audience to communicate in their preferred dialect.
You mentioned Xploree is India’s first Search & Discover platform that can predict and connect mobile users to relevant brands & services in one tap across apps. Could you please elaborate on this?
Xploree is a free Search & Discovery app on Google Playstore for India market that connects mobile device users to the most relevant brands and services during their conversations in one tap across apps. It offers brands the opportunity to delight and engage consumers through targeted deals, offers, coupons discovery across search, messenger and social platforms without making the user exit his chat app. Just to give a sense, the current industry average for user engagement rate with brands on mobile applications is only 1.62% as per emarketer report 2014. Xploree can deliver an engagement rate that is nearly ten times more than the industry average. Though it is early to talk about the monetization value, the potential of this platform is immense.
How has the Indian market responded to the launch of this app? We have received highly positive feedback from our consumers as well as the media, so far. Till date Xploree has had 0.18 million downloads on Google’s Play Store. Being a recent entrant in the market, we have a long way to go but are confident that Xploree will make a difference in the Indian mobile service market and take search and discovery to the next level.
Do you plan to have a partnership program? Yes, we do. Recently, we tied up with Groupon India, a leading daily-deals website to offer the customers exciting, value-for-money deals at the touch of their fingertips. Our aim is to enable people to instantly discover and avail fantastic deals, services and offers at unbeatable prices, and Xploree’s unique predict and connect technology does exactly that. We are exploring more long-term partnerships with eco-system players in India to bring qualified value to consumers through targeted brands and services discovery.
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DIGITAL INDIA :
OPPORTUNITIES BEYOND IMAGINATION T
he Digital India is a flagship programme of the Government of India with a vision to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy. It will help in moving with the universal trends of digital innovation and create positive impact in the lives of people - rural and urban, young and old. e-Governance initiatives in India took a broader dimension in the mid 1990s for wider sectoral applications with emphasis on citizen-centric services. The major ICT initiatives of the Government included, inter alia, some major projects such as railway computerization, land record computerization, etc. which focused mainly on the development of information systems. Later on, many states
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started ambitious individual e-governance projects aimed at providing electronic services to citizens. Though these e-governance projects were citizen-centric, they could make less than the desired impact due to their limited features. The isolated and less interactive systems revealed major gaps that were thwarting the successful adoption of e-governance along the entire spectrum of governance. They clearly pointed towards the need for a more comprehensive planning and implementation for the infrastructure required to be put in place, interoperability issues to be addressed, etc to establish a more connected government.
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E-KRANTI: NATIONAL E-GOVERNANCE PLAN 2.0 The national level e-Governance programme called National e-Governance Plan was initiated in 2006. There were 31 Mission Mode Projects under National e-Governance plan covering a wide range of domains, viz. agriculture, land records, health, education, passports, police, courts, municipalities, commercial taxes, treasuries, etc. 24 Mission Mode Projects have been implemented and started delivering either full or partial range of envisaged services. Considering the shortcomings in National e-Governance Plan that included lack of integration amongst government applications and databases, low degree of government process reengineering, scope for leveraging emerging technologies like mobile, cloud, etc, Government of India has approved the e-Kranti programme recently with the vision of ‘Transforming e-Governance for Transforming Governance.’ All new and on-going e-Governance projects as well as the existing projects, which are being revamped, should now follow the key principles of e-Kranti namely ‘Transformation and not Translation,’ ‘Integrated Services and not Individual Services,’ ‘Government Process Reengineering (GPR) to be mandatory in every MMP’, ‘ICT Infrastructure on Demand’, ‘Cloud by Default’, ‘Mobile First’, ‘Fast Tracking Approvals’, ‘Mandating Standards and Protocols’, ‘Language Localization’, ‘National GIS (Geo-Spatial Information System)’, ‘Security and Electronic Data Preservation’. The portfolio of Mission Mode Projects has increased from 31 to 44 MMPs. Many new social sector projects namely Women and Child Development, Social Benefits, Financial Inclusion, Urban Governance, eBhasha, etc have been added as new MMPs under e-Kranti.
VISION OF DIGITAL INDIA The vision of Digital India programme is to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy.
VISION AREAS OF DIGITAL INDIA The Digital India programme is centred on three key vision areas: • Digital Infrastructure as a Utility to Every Citizen: • Availability of high speed Internet as a core utility for delivery of services to citizens. • Cradle to give digital identity that is unique, lifelong, online and authenticable to every citizen. • Mobile phone and bank account enabling citizen participation in digital and financial space. • Easy access to a Common Service Centre. • Shareable private space on a public cloud. • Safe and secure cyber-space.
Opportunities: A well-connected nation is a prerequisite to a well served nation. Once the remotest of the Indian villagers are digitally connected through broadband and high speed Internet, then delivery of electronic government services to every citizen, targeted social benefits and financial inclusion can be achieved in reality. One of the key areas on which the vision of Digital India is centred is ‘digital infrastructure as a utility to every citizen.’ A key component under this vision is high speed Internet as a core utility to facilitate online delivery of various services. It is planned to set up enabling infrastructure for digital identity, financial inclusion and ensure easy availability of common services centres. It is also proposed to provide citizens with ‘digital lockers’ which would be sharable private spaces on a public cloud and where documents issued by government departments and agencies could be stored for easy online access. It is also planned to ensure that the cyberspace is made safe and secure.
GOVERNANCE & SERVICES ON DEMAND • Seamlessly integrated services across departments or jurisdictions • Availability of services in real-time from online & mobile platforms • All citizen entitlements to be portable and available on the cloud • Digitally transformed services for improving ease of doing business • Making financial transactions electronic and cashless • Leveraging Geospatial Information Systems (GIS) for decision support systems & development Opportunities: Over the years, a large number of initiatives have been undertaken by various State Governments and Central Ministries to usher in an era of e-governance. Sustained efforts have been made at multiple levels to improve the delivery of public services and simplify the process of accessing them. E-governance in India has steadily evolved from computerization of Government Departments to initiatives that encapsulate the finer points of Governance, such as citizen centricity, service orientation and transparency. The National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) was approved in 2006 to take a holistic view of e-governance initiatives across the country, integrating them into a collective vision. Around this idea, a massive countrywide infrastructure reaching down to the remotest of villages is being developed, and large-scale digitization of records is taking place to enable easy and reliable access over the Internet. The ultimate objective was to make all government services accessible to the common man in his locality, through common service delivery outlets, and ensure efficiency, transparency and reliability of such services at affordable costs to realize the basic needs of the common man.
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Six elements are crucial for ensuring that governance and services are made available on demand to all citizens and other stakeholders in the country. • • • •
Digital Empowerment of Citizens Universal digital literacy Universally accessible digital resources Availability of digital resources / services in Indian languages • Collaborative digital platforms for participative governance • Citizens not required to physically submit Govt. documents / certificates. Opportunities: Digital connectivity is a great leveller. Cutting across demographic and socio-economic segments, Indians are increasingly connecting and communicating with each other through mobile phones and computers riding on digital networks. The Digital India programme itself promises to transform India into a digitally empowered society by focusing on digital literacy, digital resources and collaborative digital platforms. This also places emphasis on universal digital literacy
and availability of digital resources/services in Indian languages.
How Digital India will be realized: Pillars of Digital India Digital India is an umbrella programme that covers multiple Government Ministries and Departments. It weaves together a large number of ideas and thoughts into a single, comprehensive vision so that each of them can be implemented as part of a larger goal. Each individual element stands on its own, but is also part of the larger picture. Digital India is to be implemented by the entire Government with overall coordination being done by the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY). Digital India aims to provide the much needed thrust to the nine pillars of growth areas, namely, Broadband Highways, Universal Access to Mobile Connectivity, Public Internet Access Programme, e-Governance: Reforming Government through Technology, e-Kranti - Electronic Delivery of Services, Information for All, Electronics Manufacturing, IT for Jobs and Early Harvest Programmes. Each of these areas is a complex programme in itself and cuts across multiple Ministries and Departments.
Nine Pillars of Digital India Project: diagram
IMPLEMENTATION All the initiatives, including establishing and expanding core ICT infrastructure, delivery of services, etc under the Digital India programme have definitive completion time targets. Majority of the initiatives are planned to be realized within the next three years. The initiatives planned for early completion (Early Harvest Programmes) and citizen communication initiatives (Information for All) have already started going live and are being completed. The Digital India programme aims at pulling together many existing schemes. These schemes will be restructured, revamped and re-focused and will be implemented in a synchronized manner. Many elements are only process improvements with minimal cost implications. The common branding of programmes as Digital India highlights their transformative impact. While implementing this programme, there would be wider consultations across government, industry, civil society and citizens to discuss various issues to arrive at innovative solutions for achieving the desired outcomes of Digital India. DeitY has already launched a digital platform named as ‘myGov’ (http://mygov.in/ (link is external)) to facilitate collaborative and participative governance. Moreover, several consultations and workshops have been organized to discuss the implementation approach of the vision areas of Digital India.
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COVER STORY
“We want to have one mission and target: Take the nation forwardDigitally and economically” Shri Narendra Modi Prime Minister of India
MESSAGE FROM INDUSTRY ON DIGITAL INDIA Driving the PM’s vision of ‘Digital India’ forward, Videocon Telecom takes an initiative to digitally connect all its subscribers, offers free data to non-data users and sets up a helpline to educate these customers. The telco also sets up a free helpline and extends demonstration stations at all its exclusive branded ‘Videocon Connect’ Retail to educate them on the knowhow of data usage. With a trial offer of 750 MB of free data for all such subscribers valid for 2 months, the telco plans to give away over 1500 tera byte of free data to such subscribers. The telco conducted a study on these non-data users to understand their reasons for not using data, and found out that over 86% of these non-users having data-enabled handsets aspire to use data but are reluctant to do so. The study suggested the 2 key reasons being 1. Inadequate knowledge and initial hesitation to ask someone on
Mr. Arvind Bali
Director & CEO, Videocon Telecommunications Ltd. “It is said that charity begins at home, and as a part of PM’s ‘Digital India’ initiative, we wanted to initiate something for our own customers to start with. We have been taking initiatives to increase our data penetration month on month, and as we speak we have a good mobile internet penetration of 64% odd on customers with data-enabled handsets. Yet there is a set of customers who despite owning a data-enabled handset have not used data since they came aboard on our Network. Our customer study on these set of subscribers suggested initial hesitation and their perception on the cost of data being the key reasons for not using
data. I am sure with this initiative we will be able to address these two key reasons and get majority of these subscribers to use data.. This initiative shall address both the first time mobile users primarily from rural belts and the existing mobile users who have been using mobile primarily for voice. The target segment is huge and I am sure this will go a long way in digitally connecting every subscriber. The whole world comes to your fingertips once you start using data, you can practically search and learn anything. This initiative will empower people. India boasts one of the highest mobile penetration in the world and contributes to over 14% of the world’s mobile users, and the best and fastest way to ensure data
knowhow, and 2. Perception of data cost being high. The telco’s plans to address both these concerns by educating such first time users thru a newly set up digital helpline and demonstration stations at its exclusive branded ‘Videocon Connect’ stores. These first time users will be extended basic knowhow of using mobile data including browsing the net, using search engines, setting up various social media accounts, etc. The telco will also be offering free data of 750 MB valid for 2 months as a trial offer for all such subscribers. To avail this free data, subscribers will just need to give a missed call on a predefined number, and based on eligibility, the subscriber will be extended free data followed by a call from the Digital Helpline on the knowhow. With the initiative, the telco is also expecting customers to upgrade their handsets to data-enabled handsets.
penetration is thru this medium. I am sure that if all telecom and the related companies take similar initiates, it is not long before the PM’s vision shall become reality.” “The vision of a digital India is grand. If successful, it could transform citizen access to multimedia information, content and services. It also gives the government access to a great deal of information. However, laying cables doesn’t ensure they will be used. The startup ecosystem is waiting for such initiatives. Absence of startup-friendly policies has made many successful startups shift their bases outside India. This initiative can be the start of a big change. I am very optimistic about it.”
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Mr. Satya Nadella CEO of Microsoft Microsoft is proud to be a part of Digital India launch and believe that technology can uniquely support the government’s initiatives in key areas including: rural Internet connectivity, digital cloud services for all its citizens, and communications and productivity services for the Government. At Microsoft, our focus is on empowering every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. Likewise, the Digital India initiative is focused on harnessing the
Mr. Keshav Bansal Director - Intex Technologies Digital India is a huge step towards building a truly empowered nation. The initiative aimed at providing accessibility to essential services will lead to the holistic growth of the country, from literacy to employability to GDP growth. At Intex, the 2nd largest Indian mobile phone brand, we are not just excited but will help support this initiative by introducing technology and products that will be instrumental in bridging the digital divide. Today, we at Intex are even more committed towards supplying to this new demand of digital
entrepreneurs to pursue their dreams, Indian businesses to transform and seize the opportunities ahead and enable the talent and ingenuity of the human capital in India to thrive. I would like to congratulate and extend my best wishes to the Honorable Prime Minister, and the Honorable IT Minister and every Indian citizen and business on this occasion. I look forward to seeing how technology can enable India’s transformation in the years ahead.
connectivity. We are proud to be part of this historic moment. It’s high time India competed with global products. We need to think about designs being equally important as making the product in India. Great to see our Prime Minister pushing the idea of design ahead. Almost every e-governance project that India needs has been successfully piloted somewhere in the country. The daunting task for Digital India will be to take successful pilot projects, replicate and scale them up. With a push for e-governance, a lot more ideas and startups will start around it. It can be road towards a better future. Much awaited initiative.
Mr. Pratik Jain Co-Founder, MyOperator On India’s average Internet speed that was ranked 115th globally earlier this year among countries studied by services provider Akamai Technologies. “After years of broadband and nationwide
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power of technology to help India transform. In fact, to help drive this transformation, we are bringing our marquee cloud services – Microsoft Azure, Dynamics and Office 365 – to local datacenters in India to accelerate cloud innovation, connect every Indian and every Indian business to the world through our global hyperscale cloud. We believe that the democratizing force of software and digital technology will enable India’s future innovators and
fibre-optic infrastructure targets, India remains stuck at a total of 15 million wire line broadband users. Yet mobile broadband use has exploded, currently standing at 85 million users, driven by apps like Facebook and WhatsApp, and the sharing of images and videos.
Experience shows that it is communications and content, not empty pipes that drive network usage. And manufacturing content is not a government’s strength. This project needs content and service partnerships with telecom companies and other firms, with new entrepreneurs.
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Mr. Mehul Lanvers – Shah, Managing Director, Hannover Milano Fairs India The Digital India programme unveiled by Prime Minister Modi is an exemplary initiative by the government to deliver this country into a new era of digital empowerment. The five elements of this programme — Digitize India Platform, Digital Locker, National Scholarship Portal, e-Hospital and e-Sign — will not only offer a digital backbone to connect the common man with the government, but will also provide a concerted impetus for inflow of foreign investment in the country. Globally, the IoT market is burgeoning and poised to reach USD 300 billion by 2020, wherein the Indian share is expected to touch USD 15 billion. Indian dominance in the field of manufacturing, design and innovation, will be truly driven by the government’s Make in India mission. Formulation of the Centre of Excellence for IoT, as a combined initiative of Department of Electronics & IT, ERNET India and NASSCOM, is a welcome move to promote a vibrant IoT ecosystem that may help India attain a leadership role in this field. Strong presence of industry leaders signifies a significant role of public private partnership to action the Digital campaign. While today’s announcement lays the cornerstone for India’s digital journey, we look forward to a detailed framework from the Government to realize its digital dream.
Mr. Pramod Saxena, Founder & CMD, Oxigen Services Digitizing India is the only sure way to reach the benefit of growth to India’s masses and that will create the multiplier to ensure the target 8% to 10% sustained GDP growth. The call for Digital India is certainly the most appropriate call for transforming India into a vibrant and strong global economy.
Mr. Rohit Raghav, CoFounder, Phone Warrior Digitalization must be accompanied by democratization. Indians need and deserve a visionary approach to public services like Digital India initiative. However, one of the fundamental lacunae in British-era bureaucracy systems in our country is lack of feedback systems for government policies and execution. Service that will go completely digital will become faceless to a large extent and run the risk of big gaps in delivery quality. Ubiquitous mobile phones could be ideal partner for government and people in facilitating very fast, simple
and accurate real-time feedback. True democratization means true empowerment and it can begin now.
Dr. Chandan Chowdhury, Managing Director-India, Dassault Systemes, India The Digital India Initiative is a welcome move by the government to take India closer to becoming a digitally empowered society and a more robust knowledge economy. The initiative will facilitate greater inclusiveness and connectivity of individuals with relevant information and resources for their benefit. Projects such as Digital Locker System, Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) Mobile app, MyGov.in are all efforts towards bridging the digital gap in our country. Today, we thrive in the age of consumer experience and digital India initiative through various programmes is focusing on offering a high end experience. The initiative will enable people to get engaged in the innovation process—it is the next level of growth which the economy will need to move to.
Mr. Ankit Agarwal, Alankit Assignments Ltd Alankit congratulates PM Modi’s ambitious initiative ‘Digital India’ Campaign and believes it would surely give the desired digital push to the Governance, at the same time bridging the gap between govt initiatives and its beneficiaries. Alankit Limited, one of the affiliated companies of Alankit Group, has actively been involved in the delivery of various e-Governance services with an objective to help people gain benefits from the use of latest technology, at the same time making govt services available to the citizens electronically. The online services of Alankit provides an easy platform for people to get access to various e-Governance services like applying for a PAN Card, enrolling in National Pension System, opening e-insurance account for storing insurance policies online, etc. Creation of relevant platforms online and on mobile platforms to enhance efficiency and delivery of the e-Governance services is the core objective. The advanced technology used by Alankit ensures quicker and efficient delivery of the said services. Continuing with the successful implementation of many e-Governance Projects, Alankit is also doing Aadhaar enrolments of Indian residents across 12 states in India. Now, Alankit is offering printing of Plastic Aadhaar Cards as well using the eKYC service of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). www.recordxpert.com, a health and wellness initiative from Alankit, is a web-based health portal which aims at securing and leveraging health records of their users in
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order to provide them hassle free healthcare services. Keeping up pace with the changing needs of its extensive customer base, Alankit has also developed an Online Pharmacy App where customers will be able to place their orders for Medicines & other FMHG (Fast Moving Health Goods) products online.
Mr. V. Srinivasan, Chairman of eMudhra Limited “The Government of India’s Digital India Vision is a transformational initiative and is going to revolutionize the way business and governance is conducted in the country in both the public and private sector. With the initiatives such as eSign and Digital Locker, the Prime Minster has paved the way for a digital transformation into a completely paperless environment.”
Mr. Shalin Y. Shah, GM, India Operations, UTStarcom Digital India is great initiative by Hon’ble Prime Minister and has the potential to put India on a global platform of digital technology. UTStarcom aims to cater to the rapidly growing demand for bandwidth from cloud-based services, mobile, streaming and other applications which are required to support this forward-looking initiative. We are already working with BSNL for the execution of NGN technology for their fixed lines. Going forward, we believe that Wi-Fi, NOFN and updated broadband infrastructure are going to create new platforms to support initiatives like Digital India.
ProDot’s Partners Share their Views on the Scope of Digital India
T
he Prime Minister said that the Digital India initiative
When you add in the mix of distance, low bandwidth
was aimed at improving the lives of the common
speeds and the bewildering variety of mobile devices used
man. He added that India may have missed the Industrial
to access the internet in India, the challenges are even more
Revolution, but will not miss the IT revolution.
profound. ProDot’s partners share their views on Digital
The three primary challenges of delivering digital services
India and its scope and hope.
over the internet are reliability, performance and security.
MR. KUSHAL SOOD
MR. NIKHIL KHANNA
M/s Kushal Enterprises
M/s Jagdamba Infotech (Firozabad) “Digital India campaign is Time saving, Money saving, help us to reach out to our end customer more easily and it will also give a big boost to IT business.”
(Shimla) “Internet has the potential to transform society into a strong, prosperous and progressive ecosystem. The increased adoption of Internet among citizen of India would help bridge the digital divide.”
MR. RUPESH KAUSHIK M/s Sun Computer Systems
MR. PANDIT CHANDRESH KAUSHIK M/s Hindustan Computer Systems (Mathura) “The Digital India initiative is going to change the entire canvas of the country. It helps in increasing the growth rate of our country. We can connect with more and more people with internet.”
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(Agra) “To make India corruption free, Digital India is a very big initiative take by the government. It will bring a transformation in Indian IT industry. With the digitalization of maximum services either introduced or being launched; the online services would provide plenty of benefits to all including children, students and senior citizens. They need not go anywhere for their routine work and digitalization would also ensure transparency at all levels.”
COVER STORY
INTEL IN COLLABORATION WITH NeGD TRAINED 5 LAC CHILDREN DURING DIGITAL INDIA WEEK To reinstate its commitment towards the Government’s Digital India vision during the ‘Digital India Week’, Intel launched the Digital Wellness Online Challenge in collaboration with National e-Governance Division (NeGD) on July 1, 2015. This online quiz is aimed at sensitizing and creating a culture of digital wellness amongst children from classes 6 to 12 by promoting awareness on the benefits as well as the potential threats of Internet-based
that Intel launched the National Digital Literacy Mission in 2012 along with NASSCOM and DeitY. The Program has now been taken over by DeitY to drive mass scale digital literacy in India. In line with its commitment to the Digital India vision, Intel had recently announced the Intel and DST ‘Innovate for Digital India Challenge,’ which focuses on the creation of products to increase technology adoption in India that
interactions and familiarizing students with different types of cyber threats, consequences and protective measures. Speaking about the challenge, Debjani Ghosh, Vice President, Sales and Marketing Group and Managing Director, Intel South Asia, said, “Intel has long been committed to the vision of Digital India and strongly believes that it is the foundation for transforming India into a technology empowered entrepreneurial economy. For this vision to become a reality, enhancing digital awareness is a must amongst our young citizens who will create the future of the country. The Digital Wellness Online Challenge strived to do just that and with the strong support we received from NeGD and DeitY, were able to reach over 5 lac children in just a week through this Challenge.” The online quiz is available in Hindi and English. On successful completion of the quiz, the students will be given an option to print/email their electronic certificates. Four winners per state will be declared as ‘Digital Wellness Champions’. These winners will be invited to New Delhi by the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY) and will be felicitated by the government in an award ceremony. Intel has always believed that technology has the ability to drive inclusive growth by enabling access to education, healthcare and government services and that digital literacy is the first step in empowering citizens to take advantage of these services. It was with this belief
will eventually result in the creation of a local technology ecosystem. The Challenge was designed in collaboration with the Department of Science and Technology (DST), with support from the DeitY, MyGov.in and is being managed by IIM Ahmedabad’s Centre for Innovation Incubation and Entrepreneurship (CIIE). The entries for the Challenge were closed amidst tremendous enthusiasm and encouragement that translated into 1913 entries by the last day on 28th June 2015. A jury is currently going through all the applications to shortlist the top 50 teams that will get a chance to present their ideas. These will then be shortlisted to the top 20 who will enter the accelerator phase where they will be mentored extensively to get their ideas from ‘mind to market.’ Speaking about the Challenge, Shri Gaurav Dwivedi, CEO MyGov.in, said, “Innovation and entrepreneurship have emerged as a vital cornerstone of today’s knowledge economy. The Innovate for Digital India Challenge is a great leap towards fostering innovation, through which several ideas will be mentored. We are delighted with the response we’ve received for this Challenge and we’re sure that in the coming months, we will see some innovative ideas reaching fruition to serve as a base for developing innovation and entrepreneurship focused at realizing the Digital India vision.” Intel has been closely working with the ecosystem to help push inclusive growth and increase the domestic technology adoption across the three vision areas of
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COVER STORY
of internet has been one of the key focus areas for the company. The company has undertaken many initiatives towards this.
Key Initiatives
Digital India namely 1. digital infrastructure as utility to citizens, 2. governance and services on demand and 3. digital empowerment of citizens. For several years now, Intel has been powering critical back-end infrastructure from Data Centres to High Performance Computing to enable seamless execution of critical utilities for citizens. For example, India’s National Stock Exchange leverages the Intel Xeon processor E5-2600 v2 product family, delivering 1.55 times higher throughput to provide a world-class trading experience to Indian citizens and contributing to a vibrant economy. Intel India with a strong focus on innovation and community volunteerism encourages employees to utilize their talent and creativity to come up with solutions that help address big community problems for India. An example of this is the Swachh Map App that is developed by two Intel India employees (Vijay Kumar & Arpit Goyal). Swachh Map is an Android-based crowd sourcing app that empowers any citizen to contribute towards better waste management solutions, efficient utilization of resources and garbage pickups. Understanding the importance of digital empowerment and its relevance in achieving the overall vision of Digital India, Intel also worked with the NASSCOM Foundation to train over 10,000 citizens with digital literacy skills during the ‘Digital India Week.’
Snapdeal launches Digital India campaign Participating in the Digital India Week, Snapdeal has launched the campaign #SDforDigitalIndia showcasing the company’s recent initiatives and their impact. Snapdeal’s vision is to build the most impactful digital commerce ecosystem in the country. Digital Inclusion and enabling the larger community to leverage the power
Mobility July 2015
India’s first special e-commerce zone was launched in Dharamshala in June 2015. Snapdeal launched multidimensional digital initiatives aimed at invigorating the local economy by creating e-commerce entrepreneurs, Snapdeal Technology Lab, outsourcing to local BPOs and promoting traditional state handicrafts In May 2015, Snapdeal introduced in – kind donation on its marketplace through ‘Snapdeal Care’ – an India first initiative. The company partnered with the leading NGOs for this initiative. Partnered with National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT), Department of Electronics and IT (DeitY), Ministry of Communications and IT in April 2015, to roll out digital marketing courses for small and medium sellers and artisans across India and enable them to take advantage of e-commerce opportunities. Collaboration for Financial inclusion: Snapdeal is an active partner for USAID coalition to drive financial inclusion/digital payments in the country. In partnership with FINO Paytech, Snapdeal introduced and assisted e-commerce for residents in rural and semi urban areas. Snapdeal has also partnered with various government bodies, industry bodies and social enterprises like RAJSICO, NEHHDC, NEISBUD, Tamil Nadu Govt, TRIFED, DharaviMarket etc to digitally enable the artisans/ SMEs who are covered by these organizations and provide a national market for the local art/ handicrafts.
CONCLUSION All in all Digital India initiative could help in achieving the objectives of Education for all, Information for all, Healthcare for all, Broadband for all if the government focusses on strong leadership structure, enables private participation, creates detailed implementation plan with common ‘citizen centric’ framework and robust security / privacy measures, and ensures integrated efforts from all departments.
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Q&A
“Digital India is a powerful vision that India needs. It’s a MUST DO”
What is the ideology behind Intel & DST ‘Innovate for Digital India Challenge’ and what are the different stages?
Kishore Balaji, Country Manager – Corporate Affairs, Intel South Asia
Intel and the Department of Science and Technology plan to create a technologically empowered ecosystem in the country. The ‘Innovate for Digital India Challenge (IFDC)’ focuses on the creation of local solutions to increase technology adoption under the Digital India vision and eventually lead to the commercialization of the best ideas to grow a robust local technology ecosystem that delivers solutions for India furthering the government’s Make in India vision.
Mobility July 2015
For the government’s Digital India vision to be a reality, the creation of a robust and secure digital infrastructure is imperative. There is also a dire need for a local ecosystem to develop in India that will provide customized solutions for India that are designed, developed and made in India, for India. The ‘Innovate for Digital India Challenge’ focuses on the creation of local solutions to increase technology adoption under the Digital India vision and eventually lead to the commercialization of the best ideas to grow a robust local technology ecosystem that delivers solutions for India furthering the government’s Make in India vision. The challenge is divided into five phases: 1. Application: The application phase ended on June 22, 2015. In this phase, up to top 50 entries would present their ideas to IIM Ahmedabad, out of which up to 20 teams would be selected for the Accelerator program. 2. Accelerator Program: This phase will run from July to September 2015. In this phase, the participating teams will be given 12 weeks of mentorship in Bengaluru and Pune to develop Minimum Viable Products (MVP) based on Intel Architecture. Up to top 20 teams will be given prototyping grants of INR 200,000 per team. Top 10 teams will be identified in this phase. 3. GTM Preparation and Prototype Day: This phase will run from September to November 2015. The top 10 identified teams will be given grants of INR 500,000 each. Participating teams will showcase their MVPs to industry experts for feedback during the prototype day. The teams will also have interactions with the design house.
Q&A
4. Early Adopter Interaction and Pilot Phase: This phase will run from November 2015 to January 2016. The participating teams will receive field immersion experience with select companies. Top three participating teams will be identified in this phase and due diligence process for providing access to equity funds will be initiated. 5. Demo Day and Showcase: This stage will take place in January 2016 marking the completion of the challenge. The top 10 teams will showcase their products to the key market players on the Demo Day. The announcement of the top three finalists will be made on the demo day. They will then be put in touch with industry players for productization. After successful completion of due diligence, the top three teams will have access to equity investment of up to INR 2,000,000 per team.
What are the challenges that are being addressed by IFDI Challenge? Digital India is a powerful vision that the country needs. It is not an option. It is a MUST DO. The Digital India vision will empower every citizen with technology for universal access to services key to inclusive growth and development for education, healthcare and financial inclusion. Three biggest challenges in the way are: (i) Last mile BB access, (ii) Digital Literacy, and (iii) Availability of locally relevant solutions built for India. For Digital India to be a reality, tech usage needs to be pervasive and technology has to start solving key local problems. This presents a unique opportunity for Intel to take the leadership position and become partner of choice for Digital India given Intel’s history of driving PPPs (Public Private Partnership) with IRIS/ISEF to launching NDLM (which is now a government program). The need of the hour is to foster a culture of innovation at the grassroots in India to build customized and localized technology solutions for solving India’s problems and driving large scale adoption of technology in India. With IFDI, we’re taking our PPP strength to new levels and putting into action the ‘Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas’ philosophy.
How will it benefit the applicants? Intel & DST ‘Innovate for Digital India Challenge’ is a unique platform for budding entrepreneurs that will identify, mentor, finance and network the most innovative ideas from across the country to help transcend India to its digital quest. Participants of the Intel & DSTInnovate for Digital India Challenge will be mentored by industry stalwarts and Intel experts. The participants will be trained in technical know-how, will be provided access to product kits and infrastructure and multiple commercialization opportunities. They will be offered market linkages and access to funds at various stages to enable them to make their solutions readily deployable. It’s a rare end-to-end platform that not only identifies and acknowledges innovation and ingenuity but also gives an opportunity to the applicants to be trained, funded and networked by experienced mentors.
What will be DST’s role? The Innovate for Digital Challenge is a collaborative platform between Intel and the Department of Science and Technology to help create a technologically empowered ecosystem in the country. DST aims at promoting high end basic research and development of cutting edge technologies to service the technological requirements of the common man through development of appropriate skills and technologies. Through this Public Private Partnership, DST is fostering the spirit of innovation in the country and giving a platform to budding entrepreneurs to create highly relevant solutions for India.
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INTERVIEW
We believe that the quality of audio reproduction should never tire the listener: Bang & Olufsen
I
ndia is beyond doubt one of the fastest growing emerging markets for luxury goods, poised to grow at USD 35 billion by 2016. Improved retail network and economic changes in the country have given our industry a significant boost for growth and expansion. With increasing disposable income, people are spending more on premium
and aspirational products resulting in a massive paradigm shift in the consumer base. We now have a larger number of premiumluxury trialists than ever before. Moreover, India is a market with an incredibly strong luxury tradition. Luxury consumers prioritize a strong quality story and value the history and heritage of a brand such as Bang & Olufsen, which this year is celebrating its 90th anniversary.
Consumer Response for Bang & Olufsen
Technology aficionados worldwide who seek a particular quality of unique design and supreme audio precision in their choices naturally gravitate to Bang & Olufsen. It is our pleasure to guide the Indian consumer market through our range of products and help them find the right product to begin or continue their relationship “We operate in an with Bang & Olufsen. We launched our store in February 2015 at DLF industry where change Emporio in New Delhi and have since observed and innovation are a healthy demand for both our segments--B&O preconditions for survival. Play (targeting the younger audience) and Bang Over the past 90 year, the & Olufsen (for the connoisseurs of sound and technology). BeoVision Avant and the Beolab company has demonstrated series are favorites amongst our clients looking its flair for innovation for customized AV home solutions that can and despite rapidly integrate with their lifestyle seamlessly. changing technological Whereas in the BeoPlay segment, our music player A2 has emerged as a global best seller, its and consumer trends, our powerful performance, battery life and attractive vitality and innovative skills design have clicked well with consumers in India are as strong as ever.� too. We are delighted to note the positive domestic response to Bang & Olufsen product Gaganmeet Singh, Managing line-up and are focused on expanding our retail Director, BeoWorld network to reach out to the growing demand.
Mobility July 2015
INTERVIEW
Bang & Olufsen’s Design DNA Bang & Olufsen’s products are not only high on technology but are high on design value too. Each product combines technological excellence with emotional appeal in a sensational design language BeoLab 20 Resting atop an aluminium base that is concealed from most perspectives, BeoLab 20 appears to hover above the floor. The conical cabinet contains impressive interior volumes especially toward its bottom, but the triangular front diminishes the perception of size by balancing the speaker on a point just above the floor. The back of the speaker, a black aluminium cooling grill, completes the slimming effect. If wired, cabling can be completely concealed. The distinctive Acoustic Lens in high-gloss aluminium at the top of the speaker also integrates a subtle green or red light to indicate the speaker’s power status.
Visual Identity: BeoLab 17 shapes anodized aluminium into a softly curved triangular cabinet whose three main sides all vary slightly in size. The elegantly asymmetric form is provides a volume of 2.8 litres and enables many placement options – even right where the wall meets the ceiling. Coloured fabric fronts add the geometry of the circle to that of the triangle, giving BeoLab 17 a look that is both organically simple and graphically appealing.
Audi, BMW, Aston Martin and Mercedes--AMG. We believe that the quality of audio reproduction should never tire the listener. Our focus here is to build speakers that are not only led by technology, but use it to bring the listener and the sound closer together. Earlier this year, we unveiled the Bang & Olufsen 3D advanced sound system in the Audi Q7, followed by the BMW 6 series and the Audi R8 to name a few.
Home Integration solutions Our latest offering in the integrated home solutions offers users a seamless union of systems to create an intelligent home. With BeoLink Gateway and Real-Time Configuration programming platform, Bang & Olufsen brings decades of experience in usercentric design and all-new software to custom installers and home automation systems. Now, discerning homeowners who want to integrate automated systems into their lifestyle can control dozens of disparate devices – all from the convenience of one Bang & Olufsen remote or app. While other home automation software systems may allow some of the same automations, none is as simple to use as Real-Time Configuration. Hundreds of drivers for all leading home automation systems and devices are pre-installed. The platform has effectively removed coding from the workflow for most installations, and relies instead on resource-oriented programming that makes adding a device to home automation as easy as clicking on an icon. With the unique new Flick-andCapture feature, installers can even turn on the lamp (or curtains, coffee machine, etc.) they want to integrate in a macro or scene, and program it into the automation sequence live – with no waiting or coding – while a colleague is working on programming another room or zone. For homeowners, this means home automation is something they don’t need to worry about. Listening and viewing experiences in Bang & Olufsen quality are integrated with the rest of their home’s automation, and everything they need to know is designed into one remote or app.
BeoSound Moment
Beolab 18 Craftsmanship: Masterful metalworking makes BeoLab 18 possible. The speaker cabinet and conical foot are crafted from anodized aluminium, which is then polished to a glossy finish. The joint between these two pieces is practically imperceptible due to the extreme precision in turning the foot; miniscule tolerances result in a uniform surface that is smooth to the eye as well as the hand.
M&A In a bid to fulfill our ambition to reach out to consumers who crave uncompromising sound excellence, Bang & Olufsen collaborated with HP in March 2015. We announced an arrangement that brings our sound technology to HP’s PCs, tablets and accessories. We will custom tune each notebook, desktop, tablet and accessory for precise sound. In all HP devices that carry the Bang & Olufsen or B&O PLAY brand, a dedicated audio island isolates the sensitive audio circuits from other signals on the motherboard. The headphone jack limits the amount of metal parts to reduce ground noise to help further perfect the audio experience on HP devices. Furthermore, we are in association with Automobile brands
Earlier this year, we launched BeoSound Moment an intelligent and intuitive wireless music system that integrates your music collection and services into one. Experience the world’s first touchsensitive wood interface and enjoy your new single point of entry to the world of music. The top of the new BeoSound Moment is a detachable and double-sided interface that allows for two different listening experiences. One side is an elegant aluminium interface with a delicate touch screen for engaging interaction. This is where music lovers can browse the endless online music catalogue, their favorite playlists and share their music collection. The wooden side is designed for one-touch access to exactly the sound experience that fits your daily rhythm. The beautiful panel of touch-sensitive oak allows you to have your favorite music flowing from your speakers with just one touch on the wooden wheel. BeoSound Moment introduces a new, intelligent feature that adapts your listening patterns and suggests music or radio programs that fit with the relevant day of the week and the time of day. The advanced PatternPlay feature automatically memorizes your musical preferences and makes your listening experience both familiar and explorative. Over time, BeoSound Moment will gradually start to know your taste in music, and be able to play what you most likely want to hear, without you even having to ask. A single touch on the multi-colored MoodWheel activates an automatically generated playlist defined by your finger’s position on the wheel. The closer to the centre of the wheel, the more familiar the music. In the very middle of the MoodWheel, the music will be picked from your lists of favorites only, whereas the outer parameter of the circle tempts the listener with musical adventures of associated music from the vast online catalogue of songs.
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CURTAIN RAISER
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l This mega event in AV Install & Integration, Pro Sound and Light Industry to be held in Pragati Maidan from August 6th to August 8th, 2015 l Opens its doors to India’s largest market for AV Install + Integration and Pro Sound & Light across North & North East India
First Delhi edition of AV Install + Integration Expo and PALM Pro Sound & Light Expo will showcase latest industry trends and emerging technologies
A
sian Business Exhibitions & Conferences Ltd (ABECL) the organizer of PALM Expo India, announced the launch of AV Install + Integration (AVII) Expo 2015 in Delhi. The exhibition will take place in Delhi for the first time. Held from August 6th to August 8th, 2015, in Hall 11 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, AVII Expo will make its debut to establish North India’s leading trade show for AV install & Integration industry. AVII Expo relates to the market endusers across all vertical segments. The
MR. ANIL CHOPRA
Director, AV Install + Integration (AVII) Expo and Pro Sound + Light Expo
“The Audio Video Install + Integration expo provides opportunity to the Digital Signage, television broadcast and enterprise networking for audio visual and audio video to showcase latest product. The Indian environment must deliver technologically advanced integration. This expo will provide sourcing and solutions to AV consultants for the first time.” organizer’s long standing relationships with AV Consultants and Electro Accoustic Design companies, Pro AV and IT Integrators and Contractors, Pro Audio and Video equipment Manufacturers, Distributors and Dealers ensure all solution
Mobility July 2015
MR. MANISH GANDHI COO, Asian Business Exhibitions and Conferences Limited (ABECL)
The Indian economy is on a sharp growth curve with impetus from the Make-in-India campaign. Government Infrastructure Investment in Education, Defence, Healthcare, Security, Tourism, Sports, Telecom and Transportation has resulted in AV Installation and IT system Integration projects with state-of-theart technology, supported by adoption of the latest equipment and solutions worldwide. providers are in sight of the AVII Expo. Based on ABEC’s 15 years of industry association in India and globally, exhibitors at the expo will comprise world’s leading equipment manufacturers, distributors and technology innovators. ABECL also announced the launch of Delhi edition of PALM Pro Sound + Light Expo from August 6th to August 8th, 2015, in Hall 7FGH at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. Pro Sound + Light Expo fulfils a dynamic and surging market in the NCR, Northern and Eastern India. The expansion for stage sound and light technology in these markets, the fast growing DJ Segment and robust music production scene made it imperative to host the Pro Sound + Light Expo in Delhi, in response to the need of the dealers and users in these markets.
“With the launch of PALM Pro Sound & Light (PPSL) Expo and AV Install + Integration (AVII) Expo 2015 in New Delhi, we are expanding our presence in the northern market. These new shows are the latest addition to vast and diversified portfolio of ABECL. We earnestly welcome all the exhibitors and stakeholders.” “ABECL has a great ensemble of shows including ACETECH, India International Travel & Tourism Show (IITT), India Oil & Gas Review Summit (IORS), Secutech India, Education Boutique, Property Expo, Glamour, Glitter, Shagun and PALM + Music Expo. This legacy will add more strength to
MR. RAMESH CHETWANI Event Head, AV Install + Integration (AVII) Expo and Pro Sound + Light Expo
“India is witnessing a rapid development in sectors like Government, Education, Enterprise, Retail, etc. There is an urgent need for a very professional and qualified integration of audio visual and audio video in these and more segments. The conference of these state of the art technologies, techniques, trends and equipment information is what we are aspiring to create at AV INSTALL + INTEGRATION Expo.” PALM Pro Sound & Light (PPSL) Expo and AV Install + Integration (AVII) Expo in terms of Industry support and footfall.”
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REVIEW
BUDGET ROUTERS TO GO ONLINE WITH WIRELESS DEVICES IN OFFICE AND HOME Connect your computers, tablets, smartphones, gaming consoles and SmartTVs to each other and to the Internet without a hitch. A router lets you distribute the Internet connection in your home to a variety of devices, including desktop computers, laptops, smart phones, tablets, Internet-capable TV sets and streaming media boxes. If your Internet service provider (ISP) is your cable company, then your router will plug into a cable modem, which provides your link to the Internet. For other types of services, such as Verizon FIOS, the router may in some cases be combined with a broadband modem in a single box that your provider supplies when you sign up. If you don’t want to buy or rent a router from your service provider, you can still get one on your own. When it comes to routers, there are many options to choose from with countless differentiating features. While helpful, this can make finding the best model for your specific needs a headache.
Buying Guide Do you have a small apartment where the router will be just a room away or even in the same room? Distance won’t play as big a role, but you’ll still want speedy throughput capabilities. In our ratings, look for a router that performs with excellent or very good throughput in both ‘near’ and ‘typical’ situations. Remember to activate the router’s security features, especially if you live in close proximity to others, such as an apartment building or a crowded urban area. Other aspects of your home might also interfere with your router’s performance. Drywall, plaster, hollow doors and uninsulated doors and floors cause some signal degradation. But the biggest offenders are aluminum studs (found in office buildings and modern apartments); insulated walls and floors; glass and solid brick and stone. And of course, the more floors, walls, and windows of any kind in the way, the worse for the signal. Throughput will be slower because of the weaker signal strength. With enough obstruction, the signal could eventually drop altogether.
Modem vs. Router: You can’t have one without the other. A modem interfaces directly with your Internet Service Provider (ISP) to supply you with an online connection, and a router sends that In-
Mobility July 2015
ternet connection to your multiple gadgets. These two devices are often sold separately; however, you can also buy them together as a combination.
What type of router should you buy? There are a lot of different routers out there and a lot of complicated jargon that goes along with them. Fortunately, you don’t need to be too concerned with all that. Just any new router these days will work fine with the vast majority of your gadgets. When buying a Wi-Fi router, you should ensure that it supports 802.11n or 802.11ac. If the router supports either of those Wi-Fi connection types, it will let your devices browse the Internet at the fastest speeds possible. If you’re planning to stream movies, it is especially important to make sure your router supports this fast connection; you’ll need it to get great high definition video from the Internet.
Difference between single band or dual band? The 2.4 and 5 GHz bands are the frequencies in which wireless communications operate. 802.11 B and G devices use the 2.4 GHz band, while 802.11N can use either the 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz band. 802.11ac only uses 5 GHz. A single-band, 2.4-GHz router is geared toward simple wireless networks. On the other hand, a dual-band router operates on both the 2.4 and 5 GHz frequencies. When shopping for a router, you’ll find both single band and dual band models. Single band routers operate on one wireless frequency only, the 2.4GHz band. While it works well for surfing the Internet, this frequency can get overly congested making it unsuitable for high-bandwidth apps like streaming video. Dual band routers transmit data over the 2.4GHz band and the 5GHz band, which is less prone to interference from other devices. With a dual band router, you can browse the Internet on the 2.4GHz band while streaming HD movies on the 5GHz band and neither band gets overloaded. In short? Dual band means less interference and faster speeds. All wireless AC routers and select Wireless N routers offer dual band functionality.
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LIST OF BUDGET ROUTERS AVAILABLE IN MARKET TP Link TL-WR740N 150Mbps Wireless N Router
Netgear WGR614 Wireless N 150 Router
If you are looking for a cost effective product, then this is your best option available. The device performs at 150 Mbps speed and there are 5 Ethernet slots available including 4 LAN and a WAN. It can cover a satisfactory range of 1100 square feet and perform at a range of 2.4-2.4835 GHz. There is 3 years native warranty available with the product as well.
It is another affordable product in its range available that performs at an efficiency of 150 Mbps with a frequency range of 2.4 GHz. The signal capacity of the product can easily cover each corner of 1200 square feet range. There is Wireless-N technology that ensures such high-end performance from the device. Starting from the home usage to business sectors, it has the ability to satisfy customers of all ranges.
D-Link DSL-2520U ADSL2+ Wired Ethernet/USB Combo Router (Black) D-Link DSL-2520U is a combination router with Ethernet and USB and has just about everything a home user would desire. Along with exceptionally fast Internet speed, the D-Link DSL2520U ADSL2+ Ethernet/USB Combo Router also provides features like Quality of Service (QoS) which enhances online streaming, VoIP (Voice over IP) and gaming experience. It also integrates a full-fledged firewall that works to protect you from malicious attacks on the Internet. With a surprisingly low price tag, the D-Link ADSL2 Ethernet Modem is one of the rare combinations of price and performance.
Digisol DG-HR1400 Wireless Broadband Home Router, 150 Mbps
TP-LINK TL-WR841N 300Mbps Wireless N Router
DG-HR1400 150 Mbps 802.11n Wireless Broadband Home Router is the best choice for Small office / Home Office users, all computers and network devices can share a single xDSL / cable modem Internet connection at a high speed. Easy install procedures allow computer users to set up a network environment in very short time - within minutes, even inexperienced users. When the number of your computers and network-enabled devices grow, you can also expand the number of network slots by simply connecting a hub or switch to extend the scope of your network. All computers and IEEE 802.11b/g/n wireless-enabled network devices (including PDA, cellular phone, game console and more) can connect to this wireless router without additional cabling. With a compatible wireless card installed in your PC, you can transfer files up to 150Mbps (transfer data rate).
300 Mbps Wireless N Router TL-WR841N is a combined wired/wireless network connection device designed specifically for small business and home office networking requirements. TLWR841N’s exceptional and advanced wireless performance make it ideal for streaming HD video, making VoIP and online gaming. Also, WPS button on the sleek and fashionable exterior ensures WPA2 encryptions preventing the network from outside intrusions.
Mobility July 2015
REVIEW REVIEW
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SANTOK BTHS800WH
BEST BUDGET BUY
MOBILITY RATINGS DESIGN
7/10 PERFORMANCE
7/10 High-performance and world class accessories maker STK Accessories, a division of the UK-based Santok Group forayed into the Indian market with a line-up of Groovez in personal audio market. BTHS800 a Bluetooth headset is a part of Groovez series by STK with which the company tries to give a perfect blend of quality, functionality and accessible pricing. DESIGN AND FEATURES: The new range for Bluetooth headphones by STK has a folding design that allows you to compact storage and comes with its own hard shell case. The earmuffs are thick, well padded and sit firm against your ears, blocking out ambient noise. The headphones are covered in a tough hard white plastic coating which feels expensive and solid. Comes in two colors, black and white. We got a chance to review the white one which looks nice and reflective and shiny. The plastic is very hard and is slightly inflexible. On the outside of the ear pieces are solid easy-touse buttons. On the edge of each ear piece is a stylish dotted silver/chrome finish. The headphones easily fold up inwards into a much smaller size, a very useful feature is when you want to take them out of the house or store them. They also come with a useful carrying case. Overall looks-wise it
has a trendy look and you won’t find any major flaws in it. PERFORMANCE These headphones make it possible to enjoy stereo music wirelessly from Bluetooth A2DP devices. Very easy to pair and the headset control functions are easy-to-use for play/pause, previous/next track, volume up and volume down . The embedded microphone allows hands-free conversation from Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones and there is an automatic music pause function during incoming calls. The headphones can be charged using the Micro USB charging connection via an AC mains charger or computer USB port, you can also connect it to MP3 devices via the 3.5 mm line-in jack which allows the headphones to be used without turning on the power. Other call control functions include: mute, call transfer, voice dial and call answer/end/reject. The audio quality is very impressive, gives you very clear output and the microphone works well. Battery life is very good too. Few things we didn’t like are the rigid ear muffs that are somewhat inflexible and can cause you a little discomfort for long hours of listening. But in this price point, this is one of the best budget buy option available in the market right now. VERDICT Verdict: If you are looking for a budget Bluetooth headphones that look
great and easy-to-carry around, then the SANTOK BTHS800WH is a good option to buy. PROS - Design, good looks, easy-touse, affordable price CONS - Slightly inflexible
SPECIFICATIONS • Supports: Headset and Handsfree Profile, A2DP, AVRCP, APTX, AAC • Bluetooth: V4.0 Class 2 • Range: 10 metres • Working Band: 2.4G ISM Band, 2.402-2.480GHz • Transmit Power: Class 2, Max4 dBm • Reception Sensitivity: -88dbm (typical) • LED Indicators: One Blue and One Red • Dimensions: L155mm X W45mm X T58mm • Weight: 250g • Battery: Rechargeable lithium polymer • Talk Time: Up to 12 hours • Music Playback time: up to 8 hours • Standby time: up to 200 hours
VALUE FOR MONEY
9/10 OVER ALL
Mobility July 2015
8/10
CONSUMER ALERT
7 Tips from Trend Micro to Secure your Android Devices A
ndroid has a stranglehold on the smartphone market worldwide. According to Strategy Analytics, Android dominated the global smartphone market again last year with 1 billion units shipped worldwide. It accounted for 81% of all smartphones shipped last year, followed by Apple with 15% market share and Microsoft with 3% at third. Without a doubt, Android is the most popular mobile operating system in the world. “Many users choose Android over other OS-based devices because first, the devices can be relatively cheap; second, it’s known for fast and efficient data storage and third, it’s available across different form factors, brands and price points,” said Paul Oliveria, researcher of Trend Micro. Moreover, Android is popular among mobile developers and manufacturers for its capacity to house innovative app development without licensing fees and its simple, yet powerful Software Development Kit (SDK). As Google wants to empower users and developers as much as possible, the very freedom makes Android a viable platform cybercriminals and hackers want to exploit. Android users can expect to run into a few problems from time to time and their device and the data in it can be stolen, spied on, and used by cybercriminals if they aren’t careful. “Because the mobile landscape is ever-changing, securing mobile device can be tedious. In the virtual world where hackers and cybercriminals are hard to trace, you are the only one who can make sure your device and the data in it are well protected. We hope the following tips can be of help in that endeavor,” Paul said. 1 Lock the screen: Enabling a screen unlock code will prevent a device thief from accessing your mobile data. 2 Protect your data: Android virtually comes with preinstalled security measures that can be easily accessed and enabled from the security submenu. The Android security screen also includes an option to encrypt the device. Enabling this option will help protect sensitive information stored in the device. 3 Strengthen passwords and app permissions: Google does a fine job at synching their updates with Android
devices. However, some manufacturers take a little more time to update. Remember to check the features that you allow the app to access, and don’t forget to use strong and unique passwords. If you re-use your passwords, hackers can effortlessly guess the passwords on your other accounts. 4 Install a security app: It’s always a good idea to make use of security apps. An app that offers anti-theft features like remote wipe-out, tracking and locking, as well as malware scanning and detection can help mitigate potential threats. For example, Trend Micro Mobile Security is a security app for Android phone and Android tablet, which blocks malicious apps from Google Play before they are installed; guards against identity theft and viruses; blocks dangerous and fraudulent websites; protects your privacy on Facebook; protects kids online; and even extends battery life and optimizes device performance and memory. 5 Connect to secure networks: Whenever you go online using a network you don’t know, such as public Wi-Fi, you should be more careful because unsecured WiFi networks can be used to stage man-in-the-middle attacks where data can be intercepted by a third party. Avoid online banking, financials and purchasing over public networks. If you use Wi-Fi at home, please make sure you use a password to secure your router. 6 Avoid rooting your device: Before rooting your Android device, consider the pros and cons first. While it allows you more control over your device, it could also allow unsigned apps, including malicious ones, access your data. This also makes it difficult to patch and update your OS and apps, which could leave your device vulnerable. 7 Download from official app stores: Downloading from third-party sites or app stores is one of the easiest ways for any mobile device to get infected with malware. Limiting your apps to those from official or trusted app stores (like the Google Play app store) can lower the risks.
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Made inEVENT India GLOBAL APPS
MOBILE WORLD & TOUCHCHINA EXPO 2015 WAS HELD ON A GRAND SCALE
M
obile World &TouchChina expo 2015 was held on a grand scale in Shenzhen, China, during June 25-27, 2015. The expo was held at Shenzen Exhibition Center. The expo brought together many mobile phone brands, manufacturers and buyers from all over the world. Participants included from TP, IC, camera, IT products, telecom products, cyber security products, wireless products, education products, etc. During the 3 days of the expo, many manufacturers and branded players participated in the exhibition with many thousands of buyers and global electronic industry buyers visiting the exhibition. The first Mobile World &TouchChina expo 2015 was held in 2010. The 2015 show reached a new level showing record turnover both in terms of exhibitors and visitors (Chinese as well as international). In the past three years, the whole mobile phone industry has undergone enormous changes. With the rapid development of mobile Internet, the market share of innovative brands has been constantly growing. New innovations, new applications and new models are changing the whole industry and are influencing the people’s life styles as never before, in terms of consumption, entertainment, connectivity, etc. Hall No 1 was occupied by branded players of mobile phones, accessories, and security & surveillance products. The hall was buzzing with visitors for all over the world. There were 1000s of 1:1 meetings between vendors and buyers seeking alliances.
Mobility July 2015
GLOBAL EVENT
Hall No 2 was occupied be manufacturers of mobile phones, accessories, touch technology, etc. All manufacturers exhibiting at one hall allowed buyers to study the products and forge alliances. There were several ODMs of global mobile phones, tablets, smart phones, flat PCs, security products, etc. Smart phone technology is sustaining rapid innovations in mobile internet, internet of things and the applications of big data, etc are opening new opportunities across global markets. Today, China and India, the two large mobile phone markets, have co-created Win-Win situations by cooperating and competing. Chinese mobile phones brands are become popular in the western countries, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. It is needless to mention that China is the manufacturing base for all the global providers. CMAI was a partner of Mobile World & TouchChina expo 2015.CMAI led delegation of about 25 -30 players from India to the fair. Representative of NCN & Mobility magazines was part of the delegation. CMAI delegates were given the status of VIP delegates and were entitled to attend ‘VIP dinner party’ meant for high-end members.
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Made in India PORTFOLIO
ZEBRONICS EXPANDS BLUETOOTH HEADPHONE RANGE WITH AIRWALK 2
• It comes with 40mm driver for sound reproduction. • LI-POL battery built in and gives backup of around 10 hours. • Headphone comes with media control buttons as well as call button. • FM radio built in. • Bluetooth range is approx 8meters*. • Padded earcups for comfort. • TF card slot • headphone supports playback of MP3 files through the TF card.
Mobility July 2015
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Made in India ADVERTORIAL
CELKON MOBILES
CONTINUES TO EXPAND ITS REACH IN HARYANA
C
elkon Mobiles, a Telangana-based mobile handset provider, launched their smartphones and feature phones in the Haryana state in the early 2015 through SPG Global Pvt Ltd and supported by aggressive and methodical promotion and marketing schemes, Celkon is all set to establish itself as premium brand in Haryana. Some prominent retailers of SPG Global Distribution Pvt Ltd in Haryana comment about Celkon brand, Celkon’s brand growth and how they are going about.
LATEST COMMENTS FROM RETAILERS OF CELKON BRAND Deepak, Choice Mobiles, Fatehabad, Haryana, states, “Pick up of Celkon Mobiles has been good in the market on our area. Celkon’s service support is also very good. We are sure Celkon will establish soon as premium brand in our town. Mr Jeetu Narang, Prop. of Anmol Telecom, Fatehabad, Regional Distributor for Celkon, is very old distributor of this area. He is very sweet by nature and maintains very cordial relationships with all the retailers.”
Satish, Jagadamba Mobile, Mahendragarh, Haryana, says, “We started selling Celkon only a month ago. Customer acceptance is good. We hope in the near future, the Celkon will become one of the top selling brands in our area. Mr Bhupinder Singh Yadav at Lucky jee, Phusa Ram Enterprises, Mahendragarh, Regional Distributor for Celkon, is very hard working, transparent and nice to retailers. We are very comfortable with him.”
Pawan, Saini Communications, Rohtak, Haryana, clarifies, “We have started selling Celkon handsets 2 months back. So far, we sold approximately 400 smarphones and 50 feature phones of Celkon brand. Quality seems to be good as there were no complaints so far. As we have started only 2 months back, it will take a few more months, before I could give my real opinion. Mr Gaurav and Mr Kuldeep of Jai Durga Telecom, Rohtak, Regional Distributor for Celkon, are very hard working and are known for their quick services.”
Mahabir Singh, Sonu Mobile, Jhajjar, Haryana, explains, “We started selling Celkon handsets just 1 month back. So far we sold 50 handsets of which 30 are smartphones and 20 feature phones. So far no complaints from customers. Support from Celkon team and SPG Global have been very good. Mr Anand Singla, Prop. Of Sapphire Computers, Jhajjar. Regional Distributor for Celkon, is a very pleasing personality and very old player in this telecom industry, in this area. He is a very well-known personality.”
Deepak, D.S. Computer, Karnal, Haryana, asserts, “We started selling Celkon mobiles only 2 months. So far, we sold only a few dozens. No complaints so far. Quality seems to be very good. We believe Celkon will grab a major market share in the coming months. Product range of Celkon Mobiles is very good and wide where people can get handsets at the price points that suit them. Mr Ram Mehar, Prop. Of Om Traders, Karnal, Regional Distributor for Celkon, is always ready to provide the best and timely services to the retailers.” Yash, N.S. Tech, Sonepat, Haryana, mentions, “We started retailing Celkon handsets 4 months back. At present we sell nearly Celkon brands 50 smartphones and 250 feature phones a month. Now smartphones sales are picking up. Overall Celkon sales are picking up very fast, comparatively. I have not seen any other brand picking up at this rate. Celkon service support has been quick and excellent. I think in future, Celkon will become one of the top selling brands in our area. Mr Yash from My Sales, Sonipat, Regional Distributor for Celkon, maintains very cordial relationships with retailers. He is a transparent and a really appreciable person always ready to support the retailers.”
Mobility July 2015
Bhagat Singh, The Mobile Store, Rewari, Haryana, briefs, “Acceptance of Celkon brand has been good by the customers. Some improvement is needed in Celkon’s service support. The local distributors of Celkon, Mr Sunil and Mr Raj of Ganapati Enterprises, Rewari, Regional Distributor for Celkon, are very hardworking, loyal and transparent in their services. We are happy with them.” Vikram, Sarthak Mobiles, Gurgaon, Haryana, comments, “We launched Celkon 5 months back. We sell nearly 50 handsets per month, 30 smartphones and 20 feature phones. Quality of the handsets has been good, but the service support needs some improvement. Mr Ashwini Rishi, Branch Manager, E2S Infranet Pvt Ltd, is very encouraging, supportive and transparent in his dealings.” Dinesh, Dinesh Traders, Panipat, Haryana, comments, “Celkon brand is picking up well in the market. In the coming months, we are sure that Celkon’s market share will pick up fast. Some improvement is needed in service support. Mr Mandeep Gill, Prop. of Gill Trading Company, Panipat, the Regional Distributor for Celkon, is a very nice person and very cooperative.”
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Made in India BUDGET BRAND
sets d n a h ives g s ood y g a w y l b a ES ked L c I a B b at O l t a M r i o c O p e I p p R “T e su ing s c i h v t r e e s m with so nd excellent s “ a nt quality ive price poi tit compe iles
Manish
T
rio Mob ector, T riya, Dir
Pengo
rio mobiles is a mobile handset brand of Delhi-based Mak Mobility Private Limited. Trio has a wide range of feature phones and smart phones that are available in bar and touch form factors at multiple price points to suit different categories of consumers. Launched in 2013, the brand has witnessed an exponential growth in the last 2 years. The company and brand are managed by its visionaries and promoters Manish Pengoriya and Kunal Ahooja. In an interaction with Mobility magazine, Manish shares their brand’s philosophy, vision and strategy. Manish clarifies, “Our main focus is promoting features phones to Tier 2 and 3 cities mainly in North India and North East. At present, our main focus-areas are Haryana and Rajasthan. Once we establish our base here, we expand to other areas. Particularly in the East, in T2 and T3 cities, we see good response for our feature phones. Feature phones form nearly 60% and smartphones form nearly 40% in terms of our sales value. In each category of feature phones and smartphones, we have 8 to 10 models available at different price points. On promotion front, at present we are focusing mainly on BTL (below the line) promotion through online portals like Flipkart, Amzon, Indiatimes, etc. HomeShop18 sells our products thru TV shopping.” Mak’s management features a team of experienced professionals who earlier worked for some of the leading multinational brands in the cellular industry. Mak has very strong relationships with the trade and manufacturing ecosystem in China. Trio Mobiles has complete in-house R&D set-ups in India & China. Their R&D teams specialize in designing, developing and manufacturing value-added products. With a distinguished management having an excellent industry track record and a highly motivated team, Trio Mobiles offers customers a unique value proposition and in turn creates immense value for its stakeholders. Mak also has set up its own manufacturing plant in India. Regarding their main merits and selling points, Manish adds, “We are associated with reputed ODMs in China, who provide us the best quality as per our specifications and requirements. We always try to give handsets with something special backed by good quality and excellent service support at competitive price points. We keep our own margins as low as possible so that we can offer the handsets at attractive price points. At the end, we always try to offer something better than others. Complaint rate for our handsets has been among the lowest as compared to other similar brands. When complaint rate is low, customer willingness to accept our brand is high and partners too are automatically motivated to sell our products.” Today every provider has to survive and operate successfully in an atmosphere of cut-throat competition, rapidly changing market
Mobility July 2015
requirements, binding government policies, etc. In this context, Manish elaborates, “Increase in import duty and BIS are bringing product discontinuity. It will take some time for the things to settle down. We have over 400 service centers in North and North East India. New government’s Make In India program is good as it helps us to employ nearly 200 people. This helps to keep money within the country which has been flowing abroad so far. No doubt Make In India has some challenges, but we covert those challenges into opportunities. Government also should give more incentives and rebates for the Make in India to be successful. We have already started our manufacturing unit in Delhi.” Trio Mobiles boasts of reliable sales and service distribution (SSD) network comprising of 100+ distributors, 5000+ retailers and 400+ service centers which helps to deliver better retail and service experience to the consumer. Regarding maintaining and effective and motivated channel ecosystem, Manish comments, “Our Principal Partner, Mr Shekhar Kukreja, Director, E2S Infranet Private Limited, whom we know for the past 10 years, takes care of the entire North India operations. Our market strategy is focusing more on a few select regions first. Even if we can become No 1 in one town that brings us a great satisfaction. Then we can replicate and extend that success to other areas. That is better than setting our foot in every region and ending up as a marginal player everywhere. In Haryana, response for our feature phones has been very good. First, we want to win the hearts of the customers in Haryana and then expand our presence. We also conduct dealer meets and outdoor activities to understand the partners’ issues and clear them. We also have good incentive schemes. As I have already said, complaint rates for our mobile phone handsets have been very low. This is an attractive factor for both the end users and the partners.” Regarding the future plans, “We will continue to adapt our strategy and handset features according to the changing needs of the market. We also want to introduce good smart phone models at the low-end market, where at present, there are none with good features. We want to be No 1 in one key region and then replicate this in other areas. We want to expand our domestic manufacturing facilities further.”
BUDGET BRAND
TRIO HANDSETS, PARTICULARLY, FEATURE PHONES, HAVE BECOME AN ATTRACTION TO CUSTOMERS IN HARYANA & DELHI
T
rio mobiles is a mobile handset brand of Delhi-based Mak Mobility Private Limited. Trio has a wide range of feature phones and smart phones that are available in bar and touch form factors at multiple price points to suit different categories of consumers particularly in Haryana. Launched in 2013, the brand has witnessed an exponential growth in the last 2 years. The company and brand are managed by its visionaries and promoters Manish Pengoriya and Kunal Ahooja. In an interaction with Mobility magazine, Manish shares their brand’s philosophy, vision and strategy. The founders want Trio to have a strong footing in one area, and then replicate the same in other regions. At present, they are promoting aggressively in Haryana and Delhi. Below, two of Trio’s partners share their experiences and market feedback about Trio Mobiles handsets.
Om Prakash Madhu Enterprises, Gurgaon, Haryana, comments, “Trio Mobiles’ feature phones and smart phones, both are selling very well. They come with sounda quality and good features at lower prices, affordable for a common man. We sell nearly 1500 to 2000 Trio brand handsets every month, including feature phones and smart phones. Trio feature phones form nearly 70% and smart phones form 30% of our total handset sales of the Trio brand. Sales of Trio Mobiles’ handset are increasing nearly at the rate of 5-10% per month. Complaint rate is really low and if at all a customer comes back with a complaint, which is rare, Trio’s service personnel provide fast and effective service and resolve the issue within a short time, whereas other brands take several
weeks to resolve an issue. So customers are also feeling happy and comfortable about Trio handsets. Next best thing with Trio is whether online channel or offline channel like ours, they maintain the same price. So a customer prefers to come to us because we can offer a better service and give higher confidence. For other brands, online prices are very low so customers get them online. That is big problem for the traditional channel like ours. We have brotherly relationship with Shekhar Kukreja, Direcor of E2S Infranet Pvt Ltd. His policies and the way of working are very transparent. We know him since 2005, since the time our company started. In future, we want to expand Trio sales further and also expand our company’s overall sales. E2S Infranet’s team has been very supportive.”
Sanjay, M.K. Enterprises, Motibagh, New Delhi, states, “Trio feature phones are doing well and no complaints from customers. Customers like them for their good quality and affordable prices. We started a month back and sold around 70 handsets of feature phones and the number has been increasing. E2S Infranet Pvt Ltd’s support is very encouraging. Mr Sudhir Sinha, Area Sales Manager of E2S Infranet and all the members of his team are very encouraging, supportive and transparent in their working.”
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Made in APPS India
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APPS FOR YOUR GOOD HEALTH AND WELLNESS Calorie Counter – MyFitnessPal
Ziffi
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Yoga.com The world’s favorite and the most advanced mobile yoga studio to date! Enjoyed by over 7,000,000 fans worldwide. Yoga.com is beautiful, simple and delightful to use. 289 poses and breathing exercises, all shown in stunning HD video, make it the largest database of yoga poses. Search for poses by skill level, your fitness goal or by type.
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Mobility July 2015
Runtastic Running & Fitness The Runtastic Running & Fitness app uses GPS to map and track sports and fitness activities, such as running, jogging, biking, walking, hiking and many more. The 4.5+ rated app tracks details like duration, distance, elevation change, calories burned & more of your cardio and strength training workouts to help you build healthy lifestyle habits and reach your exercise goals. You want to live a healthier life and be your best self? Download our easy-to-use tracker app today and benefit from great design and exciting features to pump up your workouts. The Runtastic running app is a great fit for users of all fitness levels. Become a part of a global fitness community with millions of registered users that is fun and motivational whether you’re looking to improve your overall health, build cardio endurance or train for a marathon!
Mobility July 2015
Date of Pub: 22nd July 2015 | Postal Dt.: 27th & 28th of same Month/ Posted at NDPSO
R.N.I. No. DELENG/2004/14198
Postal Reg. No.: DL(S)-01/3442/2013-15