Indianroots.com, an online marketplace by NDTV Ethnic Retail, to launch its maiden TVC campaign ‘Inherently Indian’ under new brand strategy on 15 August 2015.Rahul Narvekar, CEO, NDTV Ethnic Retail (Indianroots.com) said, “IndianRoots is a firm believer in “Make In India” and our TVC conveys the uniqueness and immense potential in this message. With this commercial we aim to capture the attention and increase the recall value of IndianRoots within the Tier II and III customer base of our country”.The ‘Inherently Indian’ is directed by Soumik Sen of Gulaab Gang fame. True to IndianRoots’ efforts around celebrating and glorifying India, the TVC highlights the everyday essence of being a modern Indian woman, who is rooted to her culture. The commercial is aimed at increasing the brand awareness among women residing in these cities.The commercial subtly blends Indian fashion with typical, underlying Indian traits and locations, and seeks to bring fashion down from its high pedestal making Indianwear look sensual. The TVC will initially be seen played on NDTV India and NDTV 24x7.Suvajyoti Ghosh, Co-Founder & Managing Director at Brandmovers India sai, “Agencies, in general, do not rope in Bollywood directors to direct a TV spot, but in this case, we wanted Soumik’s unique story-telling vision to come through and create great cinematic quality. To keep it real, we avoided casting the typical model figure, and instead chose to portray the real, modern woman, with a distinct candour.”'Inherently Indian’ will be extended across various social media platforms.
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Samsung Galaxy Note fans wait eagerly for September to arrive each year, for that’s around the time the Korean giant launches a new version of this large feature-packed smartphone. Earlier than usual this year, the Galaxy Note 5 has just launched today at the Unpacked event in New York. With it, there’s also a king-sized variant of Samsung’s flagship phone for 2015, called the Galaxy S6 Edge+ -- but let’s be clear that this isn’t part of the Galaxy Note series as it doesn’t come with a Stylus. But if you’ve got the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, a powerful feature-filled smartphone, why would you consider moving so quickly to the Galaxy Note 5? Here’s why… Fantastic DesignDesign was once what annoyed users most about a Samsung phone. Not since it’s shed the plastic and taken on a bit of metal. On the new Galaxy Note 5, there’s a metal frame and glass on both sides. It doesn’t have the leather back of previous Notes. It’s taken a lot from the design of the Galaxy S6 flagship. There are colour variants including Platinum and Gold. As the media gets its first look at the Note 5, it’s being variously described as sleek, premium, elegant, and the most gorgeous from Samsung yet. The build quality too is being praised by the few who have handled the phone so far. Even Better StylusIt’s the stylus or S-Pen that makes the Note series what it is and while people laughed at it when it first launched five years ago, calling it a gimmick and obsolete, the stylus has really held its own, proving useful for those who just whip it out to take a note. This time, the stylus first of all has a clicking mechanism on the back that has those who try it out quite delighted. It’s like the depressor you’d find on an ordinary ball-point pen and is meant to pop out the stylus more easily without having to use a fingernail, but at the same time, the clicking seems to be a tad addictive and people are saying you might just want to click it for no reason at all. The S-Pen is lighter and refined physically, but functionally too it is intended to be much smoother. The best feature is that you can snap the S-Pen out and immediately start writing on the screen of the sleeping phone – the note will be immediately saved in the S-Note application. Much More ComfortableThere are probably those who’ve wanted the Galaxy Note but have always felt it’s too big. With the Note 5, Samsung has spent a great deal of attention on the ergonomics, opening up the door for new users who could be won around when they find the device is actually very comfortable to hold. It’s narrow enough to use with one hand and has tapering edges that counter that awkwardness that comes with a large 5.7 inch phone. Samsung has tried to maximize the space on the screen rather than enlarge the size of the phone any further. By Way of PowerSamsung uses its own LSI Exynos 7420 octa-core chip and its 2.1GHz processor works with 4GB of RAM and Mali T760MP8 772MHz graphics processor. The tricky thing is that there’s no slot for an external memory card and the 3,000mAh battery can’t be removed. This is a hugely unpopular decision that may sound like a minor thing but will actually weigh buyers’ decisions. The storage is 32GB and 64GB but Engadget is reporting that a 128GB variant is also a possibility. Camera The camera on Samsung’s flagships have surprised many with their capabilities. The 16MP and 5MP pair on the Note 5 now has a feature that is creating a stir: the software includes a button that when tapped lets you broadcast live to YouTube, in an answer to Meerkat and Periscope. One can also opt to schedule the video stream instead of going live. The display’s 1440 x 2560 resolution with 501 ppi density makes the screen unbeatable. The camera has an f1.9 aperture, changed from f2.2 on the Note 4. There is optical image stabilisation and the the rear camera can record 4K video – as before. The home button will launch the camera when double tapped. For anyone who uses their Note device extensively, using the stylus, multitasking and creating multimedia, the Note 5 is a desirable upgrade though it will of course be every bit as expensive as the Note 4 was. The lack of storage expansion and removable battery is the one gnawing omission.
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VXL Instruments, server-based computing technology company, announced the latest changes in Microsoft's licensing guidelines, unrestricted access to Microsoft Office 365 Business Essentials is now available for VXL Cloud, Thin and Zero clients users.With no installation necessary, users can simply access Microsoft Office 365 in the cloud by accessing Internet Explorer or Firefox browsers which are embedded in all VXL's Cloud, Thin and Zero Clients.Frank Noon, VP Sales at VXL Instruments said, "SMB customers in particular will now also benefit from having access to Microsoft's leading business applications via the browser".Customers will be able to easily access a comprehensive suite of applications including online versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Microsoft Office 365 Business Essentials all made available through VXL Cloud, Thin and Zero desktop devices with embedded Linux and Windows Embedded operating systems.For Virtual Desktop Infrastructures (VDI), Office 365 Business Plan is available as an alternative. While using the online versions, this package includes the possibility of installing Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Publisher and OneNote within the VDI.(BW Online Bureau)
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The Galaxy Note series is without a doubt the best phablet one can get and this year Samsung has focused on a design overhaul and has made it into a more elegant looking smartphone. Of course there are improvements in the hardware, but the most striking update is definitely the design as it uses the same glass and metal combo that was seen on the Galaxy S6. The Note 5 is sleeker and looks more compact while maintaining the 5.7-inch dimension of the display. Speaking of which the Note 5 will use the same 2K resolution Super AMOLED display which has proved to be one of the best displays to have on a smartphone device. The Note 5 will be using the same processor as the Galaxy S6 but with 4GB of RAM and fixed storage options of 32GB and 64GB (no card slot). Even the 16MP camera at the back and the 5MP camera on the front have been borrowed from the Galaxy S6. The most enticing feature of the Note has always been its S-pen stylus which can be neatly housed inside the handset itself. This year the S-Pen come with a premium metal finish and a click button at the back which is basically a lock before you remove it from the smartphone, giving it a ball-pen resemblance. The new S-Pen will also let you scribble on the Note 5 even when the device is on standby as Samsung has put in a feature where you can take quick notes when the S-Pen is in its proximity, of course you also get all the regular features of the S-Pen like Air-command and S-Pen tools. Other features include 4G connectivity, a 3000mAh non-removable battery, Android Lollipop and wireless charging. Along with the Note 5, Samsung also introduced a new smartphone in its Edge series. With Apple introducing a new Plus variant of its iPhone last year, it seems that Samsung doesn’t want to be left behind and it announced a larger version of the Galaxy S6 Edge called, you guessed it, the S6 Edge+. The smartphone is just a larger version of the S6 Edge but is like a brother to the Note 5 as it features the same hardware but a 5.7-inch curved Super AMOLED display and of course no S-Pen. This is quite an oddball as Samsung already has two variants of the Galaxy S6 and now we have a larger version, which is technically a combination of the S6 Edge and the Note 5. This unnecessary move by the company makes it look desperate and now with four flagships announced this year, it certainly seems that Samsung is trying to throw everything that it has got.
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Pentax has been in the camera business for a long time now and their parent company Ricoh, apart from the camera department has a decent range of products in the IT sector including printers and projectors. The company announced that it wants to penetrate further into the Indian market with their camera range and announced two new products including a DSLR and a unique looking 360-degree camera.The Pentax K-S2 is what the company claims the smallest DSLR in the world. It is definitely one of the lightest DSLR around and is also weather-sealed and dustproof like most of the DSLRs from Pentax. The camera features a 20MP APS-C sensor, ISO range of up to 51200, an 11-point auto focus system, a 100% viewfinder and built in Wi-Fi for transferring images as well as wireless tethered shooting via a dedicated app. There is also a 3-inch display that can be tilted, which works great when shooting videos. Speaking of which the DSLR shoots decent looking full HD videos as well. The K-S2 will be available for Rs. 56,995 with a kit-zoom lens. There will also be white version of the camera coming at a later period. With Nikon and Canon dominating the DSLR market in India, the K-S2 will face tough competition.The more interesting product though is the Theta. The camera is shaped like a large candy bar with two lenses on either sides. These lenses have the capability to capture slightly more than 180-degrees and then stitching the two images into a single 360-degree panoramic spherical images with a single click. The camera being compact doesn’t have any display, so one has to wirelessly connect the camera to your smartphone via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth to control it via the Ricoh Theta app. The picture quality is impressive and sharp but one can only shoot spherical pictures. Ricoh has not confirmed the exact resolution but you get somewhere around the 5-6MP range. Yes, it also shoots video and gives a quite unique perspective to how we look at them. Ricoh has also confirmed that you can actually make 360-degree videos with the Theta and directly upload them to YouTube. While the use-case of this camera is limited, it seems like a good camera if you want to bring a different perspective to your photography but with a steep price tag of Rs. 34,770, selling this product can be difficult for Ricoh.
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The IDC-Juniper Network survey shows SDN will drastically alter how network infrastructures are configured and managed, writes K Chandra MohanA combined research study by International Data Corporation (IDC), a leading IT research and advisory firm and Juniper Networks, shows that a majority of large enterprises in India are planning to deploy Software Defined Networking technologies as part of their network architecture by 2016. In the last 12-18 months, Software Defined Networks (SDN) technology has been much touted as a data centre saviour – one that can transform the network, unlock critical intelligence, and help deliver the new services and powerful analytics needed to run on-demand applications for today’s businesses and consumers. IDC has even gone so far as to predict that the SDN market in Asia Pacific will surpass the $1 billion mark by 2018. The study found that 22 per cent of the respondents were “users,” defined as organizations that have deployed SDN in the pilot stage while the rest of the respondents were “intenders” who were planning to deploy SDN in the near future. Among the “intenders,” 40 per cent were planning to deploy SDN within the next year, while the other 60 per cent were aiming to deploy SDN after two years or more. Among the respondents, 59 per cent said they understood the concept of SDN or understood the technology completely. Forty-two per cent of intenders and 34 per cent of users do not have a specific budget assigned to the purchase of SDN solutions while 19 per cent of intenders and 28 per cent of users are willing to consider more than 7 per cent of their IT budget for SDN implementation. The advantage of adopting SDN is improved network performance and efficiency. SDN brings greater automation to an otherwise complicated world. Organisations that want to run an application within a public cloud environment would normally use a self-service portal to manually provision the required resources. This is not only time consuming, and therefore costly, it can also leave a business vulnerable to miss configurations due to human error. “This is the need of the hour to educate and create awareness in the industry on the benefits of SDN. Juniper has initiated an SDN programme that has created awareness amongst potential users. The networking architecture landscape in India is in a state of transition and the software-defined model can enable significant advantages, making it the logical solution every organization turns to for better efficiency and security.” Sajan Paul, Director, India & SAARC, Juniper Networks. “Organisations wanting to derive business value from their third platform investments need to now provide a digital nervous system to support the exponential data growth and increase in performance expectations as a next step. Innovations like SDN can enable the organisations with an unmatched capacity, flexibility and scale that can act as a worthy foundation to help achieve that business value”. Gaurav Sharma, Research Manager, IDC India. Lastly, SDN will drastically alter how network infrastructures are configured and managed. By separating the control function from the rest of the network, SDN enables IT teams to manage network environments in a way that gives them an aerial view of the business. What that means is, business no longer operate in a collection of silos.
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India-born Google CEO Sundar Pichai has expressed gratitude over the deluge of wishes extended to him on his promotion to the helm of the technology giant. "Its been overwhelming to see such generous and warm responses from many dear friends, colleagues and strangers - heartfelt thanks," Pichai, 43, tweeted on Wednesday (12 August). Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella were among the scores of dignitaries who took to the micro-blogging site to congratulate the IIT Kharagpur alumnus when he was named by Google's co-founder Larry Page as the next chief executive of the slightly slimmed down internet behemoth. Pichai had said he hopes to meet Modi soon as he thanked the Indian leader for his wishes. Pichai received a B Tech from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur and holds an MS in Engineering and Materials Science from Stanford University and an MBA from the Wharton School. He had joined Google in 2004 as its vice president of product management, where he led the team working on Google's Chrome browser and operating system. His alma mater Wharton had also tweeted on his promotion. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan posted on Twitter, "Remarkable success of @sundarpichai will?inspire youth across the country to work towards their chosen goals with more dedication and zeal." Pichai thanked Nadella, Cook and others who congratulated him on his promotion. Pichai becomes only the third chief executive of the company after Schmidt and cofounder Larry Page. Bret Taylor, co-creator of Google Maps, ex-CTO of Facebook and Co-Founder of technology Quip also congratulated Pichai, the first non-white CEO, on Twitter. Schmidt wrote on Twitter, "Really excited about the vision and brilliance of Sundar. He's going to be a great CEO." Bollywood star Khan, who had met?Pichai last year during the promotional tour of his movie 'Happy New Year' at the Google head office in California, tweeted,?"Well done and congratulations my friend. Well deserved. Running out of goodies your office gave, time to come back again for more."
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The computer maker has been using what looks like a stealthily installed software, writes Mala Bhargava It took a long time for Lenovo to earn the trust of customers outside of their home country, China. The company began to be noticed long ago when it acquired IBM’s personal computer business in 1988, including the then extremely popular ThinkPad laptops. Lenovo later went on to take over IBM’s server business and then, added to its smartphone presence by acquiring Motorola Mobility from Google. In 2013, Lenovo overtook HP to become the world’s largest PC vendor. The company has a huge smartphone footprint as well. In short, Lenovo has a massive reach, if you were to add up both PC and mobile businesses. Unfortunately, what it’s been doing is to reach into computers using what looks like stealthily installed software. This is the second time Lenovo has been caught red-handed slipping in proprietary software on devices. Reported by an Ars Technica, a well-known technology review and news portal, the software seems to be auto downloading on Windows 10 computers, even when a machine is wiped clean and Windows is reinstalled. A similar problem caused a stir in February because a piece of “Bloatware” called “Superfish” was opening up a computer to potential hackers. There was outrage enough over Superfish, and now there are reports of this second instance of auto downloading software – not something that is likely to help Lenovo’s image in any way. There are been some considerable mistrust of Chinese-made devices because of the companies are seen to be capable of collecting data on users. Installing software in this manner could also open up a machine to the possibility that others could do the same. Lenovo had apologised and issued a security patch to fix this vulnerability. But what Lenovo should worry about its own vulnerability to the loss of users’ trust and a possible impact on its PC market share.
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