In a short time, Asus has managed to become a well know brand in the smartphone world. Last year it launched its ZenFone series with three models which received a positive response and updated it this year with the ZenFone 2 series which includes three models with a variety of variants. All of them have been as impressive as the last range but the new series is actually quite confusing as all of them come with the same name, but different model number and different features. This is confusing for consumers but somehow this strategy of launching many variants seems to work.Asus is not stopping here, the company has an upcoming ‘Zen Festival’ where it plans to launch more variants of the ZenFone, one of which will be ZenFone Selfie. As the name suggests, the smartphone is selfie centric and will feature a front as well as a rear 13MP camera with a dual-LED flash. It will come with a 5.5-inch full HD display, a 3000mAh battery and will come in two variants; 2GB RAM with 16GB internal storage and 3GB RAM with 32GB internal storage. This is also one of the few ZenFones that will not be running on an Intel processor but a Snapdragon 615 octa-core processor. The design of the ZenFone Selfie is exactly like the ZenFone 2 with the volume rocker keys sitting at the back right under the camera lens and the power button sitting on the top edge. Asus said that it will come in three colours namely, Pure White, Chic Pink, Aqua Blue.The smartphone runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop with Asus’ Zen UI on top. The UI is colourful and provides a number of personalization features. Sadly it comes with a lot of bloatware, something which hampers the software experience of almost all the ZenFones the company has launched. However, the 3GB RAM version works great. The performance is smooth and it also managed to handle multitasking very well. The main highlight though is the camera experience, both of which work pretty well. The focusing is fast and colour tones come out well even when you are using the flash. The rear camera has an f/2 aperture and an f/2.2 for the front which helps in achieving good, if not the best results, in low light. The camera app also has a variety of features to enhance your photography especially the manual mode which gives you a DSLR like controls to fine tune your exposure controls (shutter speeds, white balance, ISO, and exposure value) just like the one in the ZenFone 2.The ZenFone Selfie is a great smartphone if you want snappy performance along with good camera experience especially for selfie lovers. The smartphone will be officially announced on the 6th of August and if Asus does put a good price tag on it, just like it has with all of its smartphones, then the ZenFone Selfie could be a hot seller.
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Sony has been one of the leaders in selling television sets globally and just last month we saw the company announcing a wide range of new Bravia LED TVs for the Indian market loaded with Google’s Android TV platform. Taking a step further, Sony India has officially announced that the company wants to maintain its presence in the Indian market and will start manufacturing television sets in India. Sony has partnered with Competition Team Technology (India) Pvt. Ltd. which is based out of Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu and the initial phase will see Sony manufacturing two models in the Android TV range. The first shipment of these TV sets is already underway.Kenichiro Hibi, Managing Director, Sony India said, “India has been an important strategic market for Sony and this development underlines our continued commitment to this market as well as our alignment with the Government of India’s ‘Make in India’ program. We see huge potential in the TV business as conversion from CRT TV to LCD TV by Indian customers is expected to accelerate over the next few years. There is also very high demand for technologically advanced products such as 4K and our newly launched Android TVs. Keeping in mind this buoyant demand from customers in this market, it is likely that a big chunk of TVs sold in India may originate from this unit in the future.”While it sounds like a marketing move and a good reason to join the ‘Make in India’ bandwagon, Sony is actually desperate to improve their sales. The company has been dependent on its TV sales for quite some time now as it accounts for 40% of the overall sales of Sony products in India. However, players like Micromax and Vu have proved that LED TVs can be sold at a much affordable price. The decision to manufacture locally is a crucial attempt by Sony to not only improve their production cycle but to also reduce production costs to fight competition. Sony hasn’t confirmed a price cut to its TV range but an official told us the following, “There may not be any immediate impact on pricing. However with the new facility in Chennai, we aim to stay closer to the market and bring in more flexibility. This set up will also enable us to facilitate more India specific models thereby helping us to cater to our customer requirements more effectively.”A reduction in the costs of its LED televisions could certainly prove be beneficial for the company as their products have been a bit on the higher side. Even the recently announced Android TV based range starts from Rs.70, 000 for the 43-inch model, which is quite a lot while similar smart-TVs start at about Rs. 40,000.
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Pari Natarajan on the future of the brave new worldPari NatarajanWe have shifted to a business world where connections and collaborations are replacing the traditional methods of doing business, and undermining both existence and dominance of certain businesses. The changes wrought by the Digital Age will continue to reshape our notion of what a workspace is like and how we even go about working. A small example of it could be office space/ work station becoming obsolete, while new home –based video connections becoming the new norm! But, this connectivity that allows you to work from anywhere also requires more collaboration. The new virtual world offer innovative opportunities for collaboration without the limitations of the physical world. Cloud computing, linking computing power in data centres with consumers and businesses online, has transformed how we work and play, forever. Similarly mobility has also impacted large technology companies. However, this is just the tip of the iceberg; the changes that we foresee over the next two years are expected to be even more intense. We are witnessing three key trends that are deeply connecting products, connecting people using these products, and connecting the ecosystems they live in. These trends are expected to accelerate the phenomenon of change. Trend 1Software and Physical products are becoming increasingly connected, autonomous and emotional. An apt example of this can be Ringly. With smart jewellery being a top wearable tech trend, it is also one of the best ways for women to obtain benefits of smartwatches and fitness bands, without wearing a dull slab of plastic on their wrist. The ring connects to both iOS and Android phones. The idea is that you carry on what you are doing and know at a glance if you need to pick up your phone or not! This explains how software and physical products are becoming increasingly connected, autonomous. Who had imagined ten years back that robots can be emotional! Softbank and Foxconn have come up with human-like robot called Pepper, which is capable of playing multiple roles from babysitter to store staff. It is being described as the "world's first personal robot with emotions". Pepper has what we call an ‘emotion engine’ and a standard programming of other humanoid robots. Trend 2Mobile phones, gadgets, and social media have allowed people to connect in a manner which was impossible a few years ago. Digital Touch feature on Apple watch is a unique way to communicate with your friends and family. It just involves pressing your fingers on the screen, the built-in heart rate sensor records and sends your heartbeat. It’s a simple and intimate way to tell someone how you feel! This is just the beginning! There are going to be a number of fascinating innovations that in future will allow telepathy and other modes of communication between people possible. Trend 3Ecosystems across the world are becoming deeply connected both virtually and physically! A majority of the top 500 R&D spenders have centres in both Silicon Valley and India, where their teams operate and collaborate from across continents. The collaborative activities are just not limited to Silicon Valley; Israel is also emerging as a preferred destination. All this together indicates a deep ecosystem connect, talent movement, and possibility of some great innovation by leveraging each other’s capabilities and expertise. Can we speak about the future without talking about Tesla? Tesla is widely known for battery innovations it has undertaken over the years! Recently, Tesla owners received a recall notice from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration alerting them that a charger plug needed to be fixed. Tesla completed the fix for its 29,222 vehicle owners via software update. IOT innovations are being used in improving customer experience, reducing time and cost involved in service and upgrades, improving product development with in-depth understanding of usage patterns. Connected ecosystem is not only resulting in technological advancement but also driving positive social changes in how we voice our support, get involved in ecosystem initiatives, and redefine professions. The definition of the term ‘profession’ itself is undergoing a change with the growth of “sharing economy” as a disruptive connected business model. In the near future, it will be increasingly difficult to define one’s profession. A person could by a programmer on a sharing economy platform such as freelancer; driving a car during peak hours, teaching a course in the evening, and also renting his property on Airbnb. Thus, technology will redefine the term professional. Technology is driving change at a rapid pace, and the global adoption of these innovations is also not lagging behind. Therefore, it has become imperative for large enterprises to adopt these new trends, changes, and innovations. It is need of the hour to re-define your business objectives and goals in view of the changing scenario!The author, Pari Natarajan, is CEO, Zinnov, a leading Management Consulting Firm
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Facebook has launched new tools to give video publishers more control over their Pages and allow additinal customisation on how their videos are organised and shared.A new video library has also been introduced with improved video upload tools. This feature will help Page owners organise and update their videos. The company said in an official blog, “The enhanced video upload flow gives Page owners customised distribution options for videos on Facebook, while the new video library is a simple, centralised place to manage videos.”The new video upload tools’ features include secret videos and the ability to prohibit embeds on third-party websites.‘Secret’ videos enable Page owners to upload videos that are accessible only via a direct URL, but which are not searchable for people on Facebook, the blog explains. This feature is useful for publishers who want to host videos on Facebook, embed them on third-party sites or share them with anyone who has the URL, without posting them anywhere else on Facebook.Page owners can now restrict the audience of a video by age and gender (in addition to location and language, which are already available); set an expiration date for a video and retain its insights, even after the video has been removed; publish video directly without distributing to News Feed or Timeline; and allow or prohibit video embeds on third-party sites. Illustration by Champak BhattacharjeeThese new features will be available globally over the coming weeks. BRAND BUZZSafety DriveIn yet another attempt to help users on its site who are confronted with abuse, Twitter has launched a dedicated Safety Centre.“The Safety Centre is a resource for anyone to learn about online safety, on Twitter and beyond. This resource is a result of our work with online safety experts who continuously help us to promote good digital citizenship,” the company said in an official blog post.Twitter seeks to create a safe digital environment for teens, parents and educators in the digital ecosystem.DIG THE DATAWhere The Action IsAccording to data compiled by marketing company Business2community, Twitter is the place to engage with companies. While just 20 of the Fortune 500 companies actually engage with their customers on Facebook, 83 per cent have a presence on Twitter — as do 76 per cent of the NASDAQ 100, 100 per cent of Dow Jones companies, and 92 per cent of the S&P 500.Catch Them OldPeople between the age of 55 and 64 are more than twice as likely to engage with a brand’s content than those as old as 28 or younger, according to social media marketing website Social Media Today.LEADERKiran Mazumdar Shaw@kiranshaw Chairman & Managing Director (CMD), Biocon“Air India is such big national shame — never on time, stinky toilets, unclean cabin and so different to their advertisement. Needs privatisation.”Anand Mahindra@anandmahindraCMD, Mahindra Group“A lesson we’ve learned: When you’re global, it’s not about Out-sourcing; it’s about Right-sourcing.”(This story was published in BW | Businessworld Issue Dated 24-08-2015)
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Amit Midha, president, Dell Asia Pacific and Japan, talks to BW’s Mala Bhargava about technology-enabling transformationHow do you see technology as being transformative for India today? When you build an airport, or a highway, expectations on infrastructure go up. Similarly, with eGov projects, expectations of people about productivity from themselves rise. This is a transformative move, and it brings transparency to the system. The government has a huge role to play in using technology to bring together transformative initiatives for the society. The current government has been doing that.You’ve worked in China. What lessons do you think India has to learn from eGov implementations there? I think China has taken eGov to the level which I have not seen anywhere else. Some of that is required here because of the controls. You could go to a city’s mayor and see a single dashboard where you can see what the revenue is, what the traffic is in any part of the city. If you go to an airline office, they can take their profitability by the hour down to plane and passenger login.And what is the parallel for companies today? In my view, never before has technology been more critical to a company’s survival and success. A recent research showed that in 1920, SMB (small and medium business) 500 companies had an average lifespan of 67 years, which means once you got big, you stayed big and successful. Now, that average span is reduced to 50-20 years, which means companies are dying faster because more disruption is coming. Disruptions come from different directions, but they are all fuelled by technology.Do you see industry-wide changes from the use of technology? Technology changes what’s possible exponentially and leads to new business models, new economics, new benefits, new efficiency, new customer care and service. So, all these are what’s changing the industry. We have seen that in media, hospitality, travel, and now we are seeing that in retail, healthcare, education, and it will continue. So, technology as a transformative element has never been stronger. This is all possible because you are applying big data to the already data available. They have such a good level of information flow and they have invested in that. I think trying to build the profitability by the hour is a good thing, but if you don’t do anything with it, it’s a waste of money. mala@pobox.com;@malabhargava(This story was published in BW | Businessworld Issue Dated 24-08-2015)
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A variety of 2.1 speaker systems are available today from Creative, Logitech, Bose, Phillips, Sony and so on but the A150X from F&D or Fenda Audio is affordable as well as comes with extra features that one doesn’t expect on such a speaker system like a USB port to plug in a pen drive, an SD card slot, built-in FM radio, and even a remote control. Like any other 2.1 speaker system, this comes with two satellite speakers and a subwoofer unit. The finish is very standard with a plastic build and isn’t on the heavy side either, so moving the whole system isn’t painful.Once you hook up the speakers with the subwoofer unit, you can connect your smartphone or any other source via the standard auxiliary cable or via NFC or Bluetooth. The speakers can be controlled by buttons on the subwoofer unit itself or via the bundled remote control. The storage feature (USB and card reader) allows you to play songs from a pen drive, or an SD card and manages to read almost all audio formats. The FM radio feature works fine and has the ability to store over 60 stations. An interesting feature that the A150X offers is that when you connect your smartphone to the speakers via NFC/Bluetooth, the remote controller allows you to control the music player app without having you to use the smartphone.Sound clarity is satisfying but somehow is not up to the mark and there is definitely room for some improvement. The speakers are loud, like seriously, ‘wake up your neighbours’ loud. However you need to be careful when cranking up the volume because after a certain point the speakers give out distortion and interferences. You can control the amount of bass thanks to a simple knob at the back of the subwoofer which is great to have because you can always fine tune it for different songs or for different devices that you plug the speakers with. The speakers might not completely impress an audiophile, but it will satisfy someone who just needs ample of sound on a budget and yes, the variety of features. At its price, the A150X is value for money and will fit well as a small home theatre system or just a companion for your desktop PC.
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The original Moto G was a very popular phone, flying in the face of more expensive competition with specs that were not impressive but performance that was. Now, Motorola, under Lenovo, is back with the third generation of the Moto G, launched in India first because it’s where the Google-centricphone was most popular. Despite coming into a mobile market that’s changed a lot since 2013 when flagships were ruling the roost, the Moto G may still end up being one of the most recommended phones around because it’s proved itself. That’s perhaps why it isn’t dramatically different from before while still coming with some changes that users were clamouring for. For those looking for a good budget phone for average use, the new Moto G is a safe bet. But what about if you’ve already got an older Moto G – would you have any reasons to upgrade? Here are five of them: 1. If you’re around water a lot and clumsy about it, the Moto G 3rd Gen is a good idea as it’s properly water-resistant. While taking it for an outright swim is not recommended, you can certainly be sure of its surviving a water spill or even, grossly enough, a drop in the toilet.2. The dual-SIM Moto G is 4G compatible, in case you’re in an area where you’re getting good enough cellular coverage – a difficult thing to find in India these days. Both SIMs will handle 4G, one at a time, of course.3. The camera on the Moto G has seen a big leap in improvement. Motorola never made great cameras right from the start but today cameras have become a no-compromises feature for many users and so, it’s a step up to 13MP and 5MP with a two tone flash and a simple app.4. There’s a speed bump to the processor and 2GB of RAM if you opt for the Rs 12,999 version. That, combined with a new Android system, Lollipop 5.1.1, makes for a smoother experience.5. A better battery is a strong reason for one to upgrade from a previous version of the Moto G. It now has a 2,470mAh battery which performs pretty well, taking you through one and a half days of average use.
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Talentedge, one of India’s premiere interactive education companies, has come up with a survey tracing the growth of online education in India. The survey is in tandem with the Digital India Initiative that aims to create a full-fledged digital infrastructure, provide internet-led governance and enhance digital literacy of the country.According to the survey, From the corporate world, 53 per cent of the senior level managers go for online courses, followed by 22 per cent middle level, 17 per cent junior level and 8 per cent entry level employees. While 75 per cent of males prefer online education, the percentage of females opting for the same is just 25 per cent.Aditya Malik, CEO& MD, Talentedge, said, “The survey was meant to help us garner meaningful insights pertaining to the online education landscape of the country. The survey has resulted in identifying the areas that need more attention and the concrete steps required to eliminate the barriers. Being an interactive education company, we strive to transform India into a digitally proficient country by taking internet-led learning across its length and breadth.”A high number of enrollees are in the age group of 40 years and above, and the young managers in the age bracket 22 to 25 years are lowest enrollees.Digital learning enjoys highest popularity in South India at 37 per cent, West India stands at 31 per cent, North India at 28 per cent and East India accounts for meager 4 per cent enrollments.Mumbai clocks the highest enrollment figure of 30 per cent, followed by Bengaluru (28 per cent), New Delhi (19 per cent), Pune (9 per cent), Hyderabad (8 per cent) and Chennai (6 per cent).IT/BPO industry captures the major slice of the digital education enrollment, at 43 per cent. BFSI comes next in line at 20 per cent, followed by media & entertainment and engineering/construction/real estate – 10 per cent, consulting – 9 per cent and education – 8 per cent.Digital Marketing, Strategic Management and Business Management are the popular online courses preferred by national as well as international participants.The research also reveals that while online courses are popular domestically, they are also witnessing participation from countries like UAE, US and Singapore.(BW Online Bureau)
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