Give Me A Ringo There has never been an ideal solution to international calling, unless you're willing to pay heavily. Ringo is a free app for iOS, Android and Windows phone that offers a cheaper way to call abroad, though it's still best to do the math first for your expected duration of calls, frequency of calling and the countries where you'll call, as calling rates differ widely. You do have many calling services such as those via Skype, Viber, Fring and even Facebook, but these need a good rock steady Internet connection — not something we have all the time. Ringo doesn't use the Internet for the full call itself. But the app does that for you to request a call (international only) and to buy credits. You get a call back, after which it's clear unless the recipient has something going on at the other end. Ringo uses local carriers with that call-back.Ask Me AnythingWell known people have been doing ask me anything (AMAs) in various places online. A fairly new app, Frankly.me for Android, iOS and on its website frankly.me, aims to create a platform on which anyone can ask a public figure what they like, and get a video answer. Rather ambitious, and I'm not sure how the developers plan to persuade public figures to be on board and record replies, but they're certainly giving it a shot and seem confident they will trailblaze their way past YouTube and Twitter. Currently, they do have Arvind Kejriwal, members of AAP and Congress, Kiran Bedi, Chef Vikas Khanna, author Ravinder Singh, singers Shafqat Amanat Ali and Gurdas Maan, composer Meet Brothers, fashion designer Bina Ramani, Snapdeal Founder Kunal Bahl, Inmobi founder Naveen Tiwari, Matrix India MD- Avnish Bajaj, etc on board.Whatsapp EverywhereFor those who've got into the Whatsapp habit, you needn't miss a moment. Recently, the app has moved to the Web. As long as you're using the Chrome browser you can head to Whatsapp.com and scan the QR code that will appear, using your phone. In the up-to-date Whatsapp application, you'll find the Whatsapp Web option from the menu. It prompts you to scan the QR Code, framing it to guide you. Whatsapp is then replicated on your PC screen and you can do everything you do on the phone version on the Web app as well. It's a nice seamless switch and very convenient for those who use the phone and a computer a lot. It's not to be found on Apple machines though.Remember to sign out of the computer though, or someone else will get a good look at your messages.(This story was published in BW | Businessworld Issue Dated 23-02-2015)
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A certain friend of mine is a happy camper. He’s got his hands on the BlackBerry Classic and finally everything feels like it should be. Not for him, those large snazzy touch-screens that make it easy to do everything except type. Mail is coming in, the light is flashing, messages are flowing, and he tackles them with the reassuring clicks of the much-loved QWERTY keyboard on the BlackBerry. My friend is exactly who the BlackBerry Classic is intended for.
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Budget smartphone maker Micromax overtook Samsung Electronics Co Ltd in the fourth quarter as the leading supplier in India's booming smartphone market, research firm Canalys said. Samsung disputed the rankings, saying it was still a clear leader in the category with a volume market share of 34.3 percent in the October-December 2014 quarter, citing data from market research firm GfK. Canalys said in its report published on Feb. 3 that Micromax accounted for 22 percent of smartphone sales in India in the October-December quarter, ahead of Samsung's 20 percent. In total, 21.6 million smartphones were sold in India in the period, a 90 percent surge from a year earlier. "The other report takes into account smartphone shipments. At Samsung we go by retail sales," Asim Warsi, marketing vice president of Samsung's India mobile business told Reuters. Samsung said it has a manufacturing facility in India, which could have resulted in a mismatch in calculating shipment levels. "The number of smartphones we retail in India is more than double than that of the next player," Warsi said. He did not say what percentage of Samsung's smartphones are made in India. Samsung does not break out manufacturing numbers for smartphones. Industry sources said Samsung makes about 90 percent of all phones it sells in India locally. India, which has the world's second-highest number of mobile phone accounts after China, is the third-biggest market by number of smartphones sold. Low-priced smartphones are the top sellers in a country where many buyers are upgrading from feature phones. Canalys said Micromax's performance was partly due to its continuing appeal to mobile phone users upgrading to smartphones. It estimated nearly a quarter of smartphones sold in India in the fourth quarter were devices priced under $100, while 41 percent of devices sold were in the $100-$200 range. Micromax and Samsung were followed by two other Indian budget smartphone brands, Karbonn and Lava, by number of handsets sold in fourth quarter, Canalys said. Micromax is planning a stock market listing later this year, according to press reports. (Reuters)
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Creative Technology Ltd on Friday (30 January) announced the India launch of its worldwide critically-acclaimed Sound Blaster Roar portable Bluetooth wireless speaker. As part of an exclusive tie-up, the Sound Blaster Roar is available now in India exclusively on Amazon India at an unbelievably attractive price of Rs 15,999. When it was first previewed at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, USA, the Sound Blaster Roar’s ability to deliver amazingly powerful, spacious and precise audio in a very compact form factor literally blew the audience away. Subsequent showcase at IFA 2014 in Berlin and other major tech shows further earned the Sound Blaster Roar admiration and respect of some of the world’s greatest technology enthusiasts. LetsVenture Unveils Pan India Initiative Supported by innovative business ideas and problem solving techniques, the Indian entrepreneurial ecosystem is witnessing a major revolution. The key to this growth is in identifying the right kind of Angel investors who can further support and foster the success of start-ups from India. As a part of its commitment to providing a collaborative platform for Start-ups and Angel Investors, LetsVenture has launched a Pan-India programme to identify top-start-ups that are actively fund raising and to help them meet suitable Angel Investors & experts in turn. Shanti Mohan, Founder CEO of LetsVenture said, "In the first year of being founded, LetsVenture validated that the Indian ecosystem was ready to go online with the huge traction we are seeing, we believe that high quality startup founders and active global angel investors are ready to leverage a trusted online market place to discover, connect and engage in early stage funding. Online angel investing will be the future of how this ecosystem evolves in India, changing the traditional norms of investing." ASUS Announces Its Fifth Exclusive StoreASUS, a leading brand, driven by the strength of mastering technological innovation and design perfection for the ultimate life-enhancing and computing experience, announced the launch of its fifth exclusive store in Bangalore, Karnataka. The exclusive store in the city, inaugurated will feature the entire range of Smartphones, Touch notebooks, Ultrabooks, Tablets, Phablets and Notebooks including the recently launched products which have been launched in India till date. The store displays special ROG-branded products which promises absolute leading performance for those keen on winning power. Innovative products showcasedwill deliver true game-ruling innovation for the gaming enthusiasts in the city. The stor features stylish gamer-focused design which merges the excitement of gaming with a unique, premium style. Speaking on the occasion, Arindam Saha, Head Marketing Communication, System Business Group, ASUS India said, “Home to India’s largest number of information technology companies, Bangalore has always been one of the important cities in the country. Owing to the growing demand in view of multi-national corporations, especially computer hardware, software giantsand with a technologically aware consumer base, we are announcing our 5th store in the city. We are positive that this will assist us in serving all our customers better.” Telit Debuts Three New Positioning ModulesTelit Wireless Solutions, a global enabler of the Internet of the Things (IoT), on Friday announced the launch of three new positioning modules with embedded smart antenna as an extension of its efforts to make adoption of IoT technology as simple as possible for its customers. The Jupiter SE868-A is the latest multi-constellation GNSS module with embedded SMT antenna, packaged in a 11 x 11 mm “cavity like” PCB solution with embedded Flash memory and integrated LNA on one side and SMT antenna on the opposite side. It supports simultaneous tracking of GPS, QZSS and Glonass, and is Galileo ready. It’s companion module, the SE868-AS shares a form factor, but offers GPS-only coverage for cost savings for customers who do not require multi-constellation support. The two are interchangeable to support a choice of functionalities for a single customer design – saving both time and money in development and rollout across locations and over time. HTC Desire 816G RelaunchedHTC, a global leader in mobile innovation and design, has today unveiled an updated model for 3G users in it’s most popular line, the HTC Desire 816 released in 2014. The updated HTC Desire 816G packs a powerful processor and keeping the wide screen and a vibrant, modern colour palate and quality materials that give the HTC Desire range its own familiar, yet distinctive flavour. Offering a 3G model with an updated powerful processor puts and exceptional smartphone in the hands of the consumer at an incredible value. Demonstrating HTC’s obsessive focus on incredible design, both inside and out, the HTC Desire 816G puts a whopping 1.7 GHz Octa-Core processor with advanced feature set that makes it one of the best value smartphones ever introduced by HTC. “The new offering under the HTC Desire series is our next step towards a power packed combination of beautiful design and flagship performance all backed by a powerful 1.7 GHz Octa-Core Processor. The HTC Desire 816G is the best buy amongst big screen devices, packing powerful performance and innovative design perfectly at a great price.” said Faisal Siddiqui, Vice President and Country Head, HTC India. Xbox Live Brings New Leel Of ExcitementMicrosoft has announced the launch of the Weekend Fun programme on Xbox Live, which began on Friday. Weekend Fun will see 100 Xbox fans rewarded weekly for playing on Xbox Live over the next 12 weeks, in seven countries across the region. Weekend Fun celebrates the best line-up of games available on the Xbox platform, while rewarding fans for their unwavering loyalty and enthusiasm. Every weekend, the first 100 India fans to clock one hour on the designated Game of the Week on Xbox Live stand to win a 1-month Xbox Live Gold membership and Rs 500 worth of Xbox credit. The line-up of games includes blockbuster titles such as Sunset Overdrive, Forza Horizon 2 and Halo: The Master Chief Collection.
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HTC on Wednesday (28 January) launched the new HTC Desire 526G+ dual SIM, bringing seamless multi-tasking, smooth browsing and effortless video creation to the entry-level market. The HTC Desire 526G+ dual SIM brings an even more powerful experience with Octa-Core processor, the latest addition to the HTC Desire family packs in more than ever before. Available in 8GB and 16GB variants, it is a stunning smartphone with high end camera and vibrant display for an amazing experience in the entry-level market. “Our new HTC Desire model is a power packed combination of innovative designing and comfortable handling and smooth processing. The HTC Desire 526G+ dual SIM is the best buy for tech lovers who look for innovation and technology that fits perfectly in their pocket. HTC wants to empower the masses and put a good phone in everyone’s hands, without compromising on features and specifications,” said Faisal Siddiqui, Vice President and Country Head, HTC India. Boasting a 1.7 GHz Octa-Core processor, the HTC Desire 526G+ dual SIM can comfortably meet any challenge, no matter how you want to use your phone. Whether you want to take high quality photos and selfies to fast web browsing, silky-smooth graphics on a stunning display when watching videos or playing games, or simply the ability to switch between multiple apps, exceptional performance comes as a standard with this device. mRupee Launches PaySmart Prepaid CardMMPL (a subsidiary of Tata Teleservices Ltd.) on Wednesday announced the launch of a new Open Loop prepaid, VISA powered, card in partnership with RBL Bank (Also known as Ratnakar Bank). The new service will provide a platform for the users to move away from traditional cash based transactions into an easy, secure and private mode of payment. By obtaining a PaySmart card, mRUPEE customers will be able to withdraw money from VISA licensed ATMs and also pay for goods and services at all merchants that accept VISA Debit/Credit cards nationally. Today, digital/plastic money has evolved quickly beyond just cash to take the center stage in an increasingly digitally endowed world. Tata Teleservices realizes that India is witnessing a form of ‘half-life’ adoption where the time required for each new platform or application to become genuinely mainstream, is half that of its predecessor. “The PaySmart card is a milestone towards realizing Tata Teleservices vision of simple and secured transaction services. Keeping financial inclusion in mind, we have worked towards creating this product for all customers who can now have a choice of cashless dealings. Amongst the host of offerings around mobile money, this product addresses a clear gap of Cash Out which is currently not available with the Semi Closed Wallets, There is a clear need in the marketplace for such an offering at the right price and feature set.” said Pradeep Sampath, Chief Operating Officer, MMP Mobi Wallet Prepaid Systems Limited. LANXESS Business Unit Gains New StrengthLANXESS, the global specialty chemicals company is currently undergoing strategic realignment within the organization. One of its largest business units Advanced Industrial Intermediates (AII), which until now catered to intermediates for agrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, dyes, coatings among others, will now also take over the antioxidants and accelerators businesses previously managed by the Rubber Chemicals (RUC) business unit at LANXESS. The restructured business unit AII's core business will continue to be the production and global marketing of high-grade industrial chemicals. The expansion of its current product portfolio through the addition of the business unitRUC's antioxidants and accelerators fits in very well with the existing business model. This realignment will allow leveraging the synergies between the two erstwhile BUs, build a competitive sales structure with improved efficiencies, allow competitive access to raw materials and utilities, enable sharing of resources and optimizing costs. With its networkedglobal production organization and marketing operations, the AII business unit has been highly successful in the past, even though its products are in an environment of stiff competition from the products of other suppliers. “In the AII business unit we operate a chemical business that has long-term perspectives. This is based largely on sustainable customer relations and trust built up over many years in the markets in question. Similarly, we want to develop strong relations with the customers of antioxidants and accelerators previously served by BU RUC. It is very important to me that we maintain long-term customer relationships in the future as well," said Hubert Fink, Head, Business Unit, Advanced Industrial Intermediates, LANXESS AG. Everest Group Names Virtusa Major Contender For Aloud ServicesVirtusa Corporation, a global business consulting and IT outsourcing company that combines innovation, technology leadership and industry solutions to transform the customer experience, today announced it has been named a Major Contender in enterprise cloud application services by Everest Group, an advisory and research firm on global services. This is the first year Virtusa has been positioned by Everest Group in this category. The in-depth report, issued annually, measures service providers on its proprietary Performance, Experience, Ability and Knowledge (PEAK) Matrix. According to the report, the PEAK Matrix is a composite framework that provides an objective, data-driven, and comparative assessment of independent testing service providers based on their absolute market success and delivery capability. “We are truly humbled to be included on this year’s PEAK Matrix for enterprise cloud application services,” said Amit Khanna, vice president and global head of Cloud Practice at Virtusa. “We’re proud to take a holistic approach to cloud migration services and understand that a successful transformation experience not just relies on applications, but ensuring synergies exist with the hardware, as well. It’s an honor to be included as a major contender and we look forward to moving up in next year’s report.” Affordable Healthcare Diagnostics Gets A New DirectionThe Fourth installment of the ReDx Camp ‘Redesigning Diagnostics’ by MIT Media Lab’s Camera Culture Group along with Tata Center for Technology+Design, IIT-B, Hinduja National Hospital was inaugurated at WeSchool on January 24, 2015, bringing together around 100 young participants that included engineers, health professionals and design students from across the country. This confluence of young minds will work towards creating working prototypes of innovative diagnostic devises that will bring high quality and low cost medical solutions to not just the millions of people in India, but also billions of people around the world. With over 100 prototypes and 380 participants, India’s biggest ‘Design Innovation Workshop’, a collaborative initiative by MIT Media Lab and WeSchool that had concluded successfully last year, Prof Uday Salunkhe, Group Director, WeSchool said, “WeSchool has indeed turned into an innovation hub as we work closely with multiple partners like MIT Media Lab for the DI workshop, International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (ICSID) for Interdesign 2014, Swedish Energy Agency for India Sweden Energy Accelerator and the world renown Center for Creative Leadership to nurture our Global Citizen Leaders." India's External Storage Market Witnesses Double Digit GrowthAccording to International Data Corporation IDC's Asia/Pacific Quarterly Enterprise Storage Tracker, Q3 2014 India external storage market witnessed a double-digit quarter-on-quarter growth (in vendor Revenue) and stood at $61.97 million though year-on-year was a de-growth. Q3 2014 witnessed a recovery majorly due to some large multi-million dollar deals that were absent from last few quarters. The market is expected to revive in the coming quarters due to business favouring policies from government and large pending technology refreshes, though increased acceptability of cloud and need of infrastructure optimization across organizations are posing hiccups to the traditional storage market growth. Optimization and productivity have become the key priorities across organizations resulting in increased adoption of technologies like virtualization, de-duplication, automatic tiering, compression and thin provisioning. Flash storage is gaining foothold in Indian organizations, especially in verticals like Communication & Media, Manufacturing, IT/ITeS and Banking. Software defined storage is also slowly gaining traction with majority of the OEMs gearing up with solution based approach to cater to this demand.
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Sony has announced its new Digital TV (DTV) Tuner Module designed for mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets, automotive infotainment systems, navigation systems and PCs. The high performance DTV tuner module boasts the world's smallest size and superior reception as well as extremely low power consumption, making it an optimal candidate for inclusion into mobile devices. The SMT-EW100 series is the DVB-T2 compatible module, especially designed to be incorporated in the mobile devices and is the first module from Sony specialized for mobile usage. The tuner module supports various types of digital terrestrial TV broadcast systems, including DVB-T, DVB-T2, DVB-T2 Lite, ISDB-T and ISDB-Tmm. Sony India will offer, along with the SMT-EW100 series tuner module, the antenna, software and technical support as well. Provided with this total solution package, manufacturers of mobile devices will be able to easily incorporate a DTV feature into their products. TCS Recognised As Leader By Everest GroupTata Consultancy Services (TCS), a leading IT services, consulting and business solutions organization, on Friday (23 January) announced it has been ranked as a ‘Leader’ and ‘Star Performer’ in Capital Markets specific Application Outsourcing (AO) services for the third straight year by Everest Group in its report, “Everest Group’s PEAK Matrix for Capital Markets AO Service Providers,” December 2014. The Everest Group analyzed the capabilities of 23 leading AO service providers specific to the global capital markets sector. These providers were mapped to Everest Group PEAK Matrix which is a composite index of a range of distinct metrics related to each providers capability and market success. TCS scored in the highest percentile for both delivery capacity and market success. The report also recognized TCS for its ongoing commitment to domain investment, project scale and scope, delivery footprint and overall buyer satisfaction. In addition, the firm was recognized for its tremendous achievements in raising their operating margin by more than two percent and growing revenues in the Business Financial Services Group by more than 15 percent in FY14. “TCS continues to maintain its ”Leader” and ”Star Performer” positioning in the capital markets AO space for a third consecutive year, given its ever-growing scale, market success and buyer satisfaction,” said Jimit Arora, Vice President, Everest Group. “TCS earned this year’s recognition for being a reliable and trusted provider for several capital markets buyers who value the company for their solid delivery capabilities, strong domain knowledge and ongoing investments in client relationships.” MOWA App LaunchediKaaz, the leading mobile payments company providing innovative Tap & Pay solutions has unveiled its latest mobile application MOWA: a simple mobile payment enabler through smart phones. The app facilitates consumers and merchants to make and receive payments in an easy and convenient way based on the mobile number. It enables sending money through the mobile to any phone number or to a phonebook contact without sharing private bank account details of sender or receiver. The app supports all banks in India and is available free of cost. MOWA is launched jointly by iKaaz and DCB Bank, this innovative mobile app helps you manage your cards to make payments as well as bank accounts to deposit money. The most differentiating feature of this app is it requires no pre-payment of account like other wallets as consumers’ money resides in their own bank account until they do the transaction. The users can avail the app by registering with mobile number, name and date of birth. One must then attach the credit or the debit card as a payment medium and start making payments by entering mobile number of receiver. The money is debited from the payer’s card only at the time of the transaction and deposited directly in to the receiver’s bank account. People can also request for money and if accepted & paid, the amount gets deposited into the bank seamlessly. One can pay using any of the cards linked to the MOWA account. The app also facilitates small business merchants to accept digital payments which include debit, credit and pre-paid card payments. They can save money by registering with MOWA for an absolutely free POS solution with no need of an additional hardware POS terminal. BLK Hospital Chooses Microsoft CRMBLK Super Specialty, a 650-bedded hospital providing tertiary care, is migrating to Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online to enhance patient experience by leveraging data insights. By providing dashboard views of crucial information about the patient in real time, the CRM offering will enable BLK’s medical staff to make timely and effective decisions, improving patient experience, care as well as the overall efficiency of the staff. BLK Super Specialty Hospital has chosen Microsoft CRM Online because it is easy to set up and use and, along with Office 365, significantly enhances patient relationship management. Naresh Kapoor, Director, BLK Super Specialty Hospital said, “We want to provide our patients with world class services in treatment and care. Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online will help us with key insights to achieve this goal by enabling us to maintain a single information repository, giving 360- degree view of patients’ history. This will also help us improve post-discharge engagements and manage patient feedback. This solution integrates well with our Hospital Information System (HIS), supporting us in keeping the patient profile updated real-time, for preventive care and provide patients with a seamless experience-making us future ready.” Samik Roy, Director, Microsoft India said, “Data insights help support and strengthen businesses across the organization. When it comes to healthcare, these insights impact not just growth but more importantly, the well-being of people. The current deployment will allow healthcare practitioners to access information anytime, anywhere on a device of their choice, resulting in a timely response and better patient care.”Audi Opens New Showroom In BengaluruAudi, the German luxury car manufacturer, on Friday announced the opening of its second world-class showroom in Bengaluru. This is the third Audi showroom in Karnataka. Based on a unique Central Business District concept, this showroom is the second of its kind in the country after Audi Delhi Central. The showroom was inaugurated by Joe King, Head, Audi India and K. Subramaniam, CEO Audi Bengaluru Central. The entire Audi model range in India will be available at Audi Bengaluru Central showroom. "Audi is the undisputed No.1 luxury car brand in India. We command a leadership position in the state of Karnataka as well. Exceeding the expectations of our customers and delighting them at every step has been the key to our success in India. Audi Bengaluru Central, based on a unique lounge concept, is yet another endeavour designed to give our customers a truly personal and customized luxury experience. This new world-class showroom will bring us even closer to luxury connoisseurs and Audi enthusiasts in the state, not just geographically, but also in terms of an unparalleled luxury experience, that truly reflects our core brand values - sporty, progressive and sophisticated," said Joe King, Head, Audi India.
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Mobile devices are holding centrestage today and are a gateway to countless productivity tools, entertainment resources and social networking channels. According to IDC’s “Mobile World Congress 2014: The Enterprise Mobility Perspective,” “Enterprise mobility has so far been mostly characterized by consumerization. Smartphones, apps, mobile broadband, personal cloud storage, and social media have combined to transform consumers' everyday lives’. And this movement is global. Recognising that employees may be most productive on devices of their choice, bring your own device (BYOD) is expanding worldwide.While these trends bring flexibility and business profitability, they have also amplified the accessibility of corporate information on premise and outside the corporate network.This year, as a responsible organization - let’s resolve to keep a critical eye on those shiny devices walking in-and-out of the premise, by following a few resolutions to up our mobile security game.Make the Mobile Phone the Network’s Strongest LinkMany companies think device-level security is enough to prevent data leakage and breaches, but today’s mobile threats call for deeper layers of defenses. Protecting the endpoint using just the anti-virus component of an endpoint protection technology has been insufficient for years. As mobile device management solutions become commonplace in the enterprise, it is realized that "MDM" (mobile device management) does not protect corporate data. Perhaps an integrated solution offering anti-malware (mobile security), device management (MDM), and app/data protection (MAM) capabilities is worth evaluating.You can strengthen your security infrastructure with data loss prevention, network security, endpoint security, encryption, strong authentication, and defensive measures, including reputation-based technologies.Educate Employees on How to deflect AttacksMany of the large-scale data breaches from the past couple years highlight that the weakest link in security is often human error. Therefore, it’s critical that your employees understand what attacks look like and how to defend against them. Make 2015 the year of educating your users about security threats and the damage they can cause – from password strength to phishing emails to lost and stolen mobile devices.But don’t simply rely on providing employee handbooks. Training should be actionable and include actively testing your employees by simulating real-life circumstances.Take the C-Suite into ConfidenceCIOs and CSOs must proactively counsel executives about the current information risks the company faces and explain in plain language the resources needed to transition from older, vulnerable systems, and create and test incident response plans. Make regular meetings with your C-Suite a goal in 2015. Engaging the C-suite can help IT get the security resources it needs to be successful and is critical to getting in front of issues before they become a crisis.Protect the Operating System from MalwareMobile devices that are connected to the internet will carry the similar security risks that desktops and laptops carry. In addition, mobile devices are slightly more vulnerable due to the ease of downloading applications from App Stores. Today, while the Android OS dominates the consumer market, it is also making headway in the enterprise space that is currently dominated by iOS globally, as result of the growing adoption of BYOD within the enterprises. No wonder then that in the last two years, it was noticed that there was a major growth from trojans and adware targeting mobile devices, mainly focusing on Android phone. According to Symantec’s Internet Security Threat Report 19, in 2013 Android was the platform of choice for malware authors with 97 percent of threat rate, as compared to other platforms.Keep an Eye Out for the Bad Apps To streamline business processes and enhance employee productivity, enterprises provide the workforce with relevant mobile apps. Protect your company by developing a policy item to determine which apps can be downloaded or accessed via the corporate network.Lose it, Lock it, Wipe itDownload an app on your mobile devices that allows you and your employees to lock and wipe a phone in the case of theft or loss. Keep out prying eyes by remotely locking your device. If your phone is gone for good, wipe your data including contacts, text messages, photos, email, browser history and user accounts (like Facebook, Twitter and Google).Update, Update, Update Make sure that employees get in the habit of updating apps as soon as they are prompted to. Software updates can include fixes to new vulnerabilities and exploited security gaps.Don’t Let Mobile Security Be a Blind Spot With so much personal data on our devices and mobile malware on the rise, our mobile now needs the same attention given to PC protection.
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Sony India on Wednesday (21 January) announced the launch of a pioneering technology for all those who take music seriously and savor real high definition sound with its state of art MDR Z7 headphones and high resolution amplifier PHA-3. The headphones are crafted to provide the audiophiles an ultimate music experience by reproducing crystal clear notes of high resolution audio content, which brings the listener closer to the spirit and soul of the artist’s original performance. High Resolution Audio is typically an audio format that has a sampling rate of 96 KHz/ 24 bit and can reproduce very close to original sound as recorded in a studio or concert hall. With high resolution audio, listener can experience fine details of audio like artist’s breath, subtlety, depth, pressure, expression or concert hall atmosphere. Better frequency sampling rate and high bit rate makes the playback audio very close to the original audio track while a CD recording cannot capture and playback the fine details of the original audio source. Popular high resolution audio formats are FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF and DSD. ASUS Zenfone 5 Price SlashedASUS on Wednesday made a special announcement for its revolutionary ASUS Zenfone 5 will now be available for Rs. 7,999. Emerged as the most loved smartphone out of the series - ASUS Zenfone 5 has received a tremendous response from the Indian masses. The ASUS ZenFone 5 combines a spacious 5-inch IPS panel that delivers superb high-definition (HD) 1280 x 720-pixel resolution — a brilliant 8-megapixel PixelMaster main camera with image stabilization. It features Intel® Atom Multi-Core 1.2 GHz Z2520 Processor with Intel Hyper-Threading Technology and 8GB EMMC plus 2GB RAM. Vserv Launches Aqua Native Adsserv, a leading smart data led mobile marketing platform, on Wednesday announced the launch of Vserv Aqua Native, a dynamic native ad format powered by the Vserv Smart Data™ platform. Vserv Aqua Native is designed to facilitate seamless experience for consumers on mobile, inclusive of ads. It displays ads that are customized as per the environment, design and layout of the app or site, hence being able to retain consumer attention and reduce ad fatigue. This in turn leads to a higher average click-through rate (CTR) for the publisher. As content is increasingly being consumed on smartphones today, ads are rapidly merging with the app content in the form of native ads. These ads provide a non-intrusive experience for consumers. It has been reported that 25 per cent more consumers tend to notice native ads, thereby resulting in better conversions. Native ads today make perfect sense for publishers who are trying every trick in the book to grab the consumer attention. The free flowing nature of native ads effortlessly integrates marketing messages into content, without compromising on the user experience and results in earnings that were not possible earlier. Commenting on the launch, Prashant Dixit, VP, Global Data & Supply Partnerships, Vserv said, “Vserv Aqua Native is a fluid ad format which can deliver 5760 different permutations of an ad to be displayed on the app or site. In addition to this, Vserv Aqua Native also allows the publishers to fully customize the ad based on their requirement. These unique features combined with our Vserv Smart Data platform make the overall consumer experience more authentic, customized and effective.” TCS Consolidates Partnership With AmsterdamTata Consultancy Services (TCS), a leading IT services, consulting and business solutions organization, on Wednesday announced the extension of its partnership with the TCS Amsterdam Marathon. In an agreement signed in the presence of the Vice-Mayor of the City of Amsterdam, Eric van der Burg, the company renewed its title sponsorship of the Marathon until 2020, extending the original partnership by an additional five years. Since TCS first began its support of the Marathon in 2011, the event has grown to become one of the largest and most popular marathons in Europe, hosting over 42,500 runners from over 80 countries last year. The race has now received the IAAF Gold Label for Road Races, the highest accreditation in this field. TCS’ employees and clients have contributed extensively to the event, comprising over 4 per cent of the runners each year (1,850 of them participated in 2014). Over the past four years, the company’s employees joined up into combined teams with over 30 of its client organizations, including ABN AMRO, Achmea, ASML, Avery Desnnison, AXA, Belgacom, DSM, ING, Iamsterdam, Nyenrode Business University, Irdeto, KLM, KPN, NXP, Platform Outsourcing Nederland, Rabobank, Royal HaskoningDHV and Tata Steel. Collectively these teams have been in the forefront of the effort that raised over €500,000 for the VUmc Amsterdam Cancer Centre, the country’s leading cancer research facility. The company has won several corporate engagement and CSR awards in recognition of these initiatives. TCS Research Scholarship Programme ExpandedTata Consultancy Services (TCS), a leading IT services, consulting and business solutions organization, on Wednesday announced that the company’s flagship TCS Research Scholarship Programme (TCS RSP) will be extended for another five years to reach over 200 additional doctoral research scholars across India in the area of Computer Science. Till date, TCS has actively supported 188 research scholars across 33 institutes in India, under this programme. Six students have successfully completed their Phds under this scheme. For the next five years, the TCS RSP will benefit 40 scholars annually. The programme supports nearly 20 per cent of all the Computing Science PhD scholars in India. The TCS Research Scholarship Programme was launched in 2010 to provide a major fillip for quality research in areas such as computer sciences and engineering, information systems and technology, and software engineering. The programme also aims to promote development and innovation to contribute towards boosting the country’s technology landscape.
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