Asus on Wednesday (09 July) announced the launch of its much awaited series of smartphone range, Zenfone, in India. There was no word on the pricing before the launch and it seems like Asus had saved best for the last. Keeping in mind the expectations of the Indian consumer, the Asus Zenfone 5 has been priced at Rs 9,999 only! The budget handset, Zenfone 4 will cost you Rs 5,999 while the mid range Asus Zenfone 6 comes at Rs 16,999.Commenting on the launch, Asus CEO Jerry Shen said, "We are very excited to bring this premium luxury to consumers in India. When we set foot on this journey in search of incredible, we aimed to create the most extra-ordinary phone for everyone to enjoy. It fulfills every aspect of our customers."Asus Zenfone 4 is a budget device with a 4 inch display and a 5 MP camera sans flash. The phone is powered up by a dual core Intel Atom Z2520 processor and 1 GB of RAM. The best part is that the Zenfone 4 is available in 5 colours - pearl white, sky blue, cherry red, solar yellow and charcoal black. Zenfone 5 is the second phone in the series and sports a 5 inch HD display. The USP of this phone is that it can be operated with a stylus or while wearing gloves. It is powered up by Intel Atom Z2580 processor and 2 GB of RAM.Coming to the camera of the Zenfone 5, the phone features a 8 MP primary camera with flash and a front facing 2 MP camera. A backside illumination sensor and wide aperture lens allow users to effortlessly capture stunning photographs. Last but not the least, the Asus Zenfone 6 is a mid range offering from the Taiwanese firm. As the name goes, it features a 6 inch HD display, glove-touch and pen-touch technologies. It packs a similar hardware like the Zenfone 5 with the only differentiating factor being the Asus SonicMaster audio technology which offers immersive sound via headphones. The Zenfone 6 comes in 4 different colours - pearl white, cherry red, charcoal black and champagne gold.Apart from the phones, the company also announced a 7 inch tablet - the Asus Fonepad 7. It features a 2X2 Intel Atom processor with hyper-threading technology which makes gaming and multi-tasking a piece of cake. Asus claims that the Fonepad 7 can give 10 hours of video playback or 30 hours of 3G talk-time.Starting Thursday (10 July), all the devices will be made available to the consumers via physical and e-commerce stores.
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Nikon India, an imaging technology company, has announced the release of the Soft Shutter Release AR-11, developed for use AR11with the Nikon Df FX-format (full-frame) digital SLR camera.The AR-11 is an optional accessory that may be attached to the camera by screwing it into the release socket on the camera's shutter-release button. Adoption of ebonite resin for the top surface of the AR-11 allows users to enjoy a soft and light feel when pressing the shutter-release button. Ebonite resin, often used in high-end fountain pens and the mouthpieces of wind instruments, creates a unique and rich texture that melds with the finger over time.The combination of the AR-11’s soft and light-feel material and the Df’s utilization of a magnesium alloy for the elegant body and large metal mechanical dials, excellent in their ability to offer simple visual confirmation of settings, increases the superior look and feel of the camera as a precision instrument. Users can further increase their enjoyment of owning the Df with the texture and operational feel of a camera that changes according to the way they use it. Indian Analytics Market To Cross $2 bn By 2018: Nasscom ReportNasscom unveiled a report on Industrialisation of Analytics in India: Big Opportunity, Big Outcome; in association with Blueocean Market Intelligence - a global analytics and insight provider.The report showcases the present state of affairs, key drivers and challenges along with the growth potential of analytics adoption in India. While the domestic market is still nascent, the report predicts the Indian analytics market to cross the $2 billion mark by FY2018 – growing at a CAGR of 25 percent. Analytics is increasingly becoming a core competent for organisations to formulate business driven strategies and derive value.It emphasises on organising need to ‘industrialise’ analytics for sustained long term value. While most firms begin analytics initiatives, very few are able to integrate analytics into the organizational fabric and generate long term value. This is where; organizations should aim for ‘Industrialization of analytics’.Strong vendor ecosystem, strong analytics capabilities, scalability and leadership provide India an advantage of a mature ecosystem to promote domestic adoption of analytics. IMImobile Raises £30.0m On First Day Of DealingIMImobile, a London based global technology company which provides software and services to help businesses capitalise on the growth in mobile communication, has announced that admission and trading of its Ordinary Shares commences on the AIM market of the London Stock ExchangeThe fundraising raised £30.0m, before expenses, through the issue of 25,000,000 Ordinary Shares at the Placing Price of 120p per share.SPARK Advisory Partners Limited is acting as Nominated Adviser, Whitman Howard Limited and WH Ireland Limited are Joint Brokers to the Company.Jay Patel, Chief Executive Officer, commented, said: "we are delighted with the strong support shown by investors, which we believe is a positive endorsement of IMImobile’s business model, product offering and market opportunity. Our Admission to AIM represents a major step forward as we seek to capitalise on a number of high growth opportunities that exist across our geographies and markets".Logitech Reinforces Its Wireless Portfolio In South India MarketLogitech India, the market leader in computer peripherals, has showcased their comprehensive line-up of wireless products, which comprises of wireless keyboards and mice, portable speakers, headsets and Bluetooth enabled speakers, in Chennai. Logitech supports the growing need of easy interaction with the digital world and hence designs high-precision devices for entertainment and improved productivity.Logitech’s combined hardware and software enable or enhance digital navigation, music and video entertainment, gaming, social networking, audio and video communication over the Internet, video security and home-entertainment control. Logitech has always been on the forefront of innovation and design by understanding the evolving needs of customers to be able to address the technology requirements of all age groups. With a vast range of wireless product portfolio, Logitech aims to cater to the changing lifestyles of consumers with devices which enable them to de-clutter their lives and be more flexible.SNUG India Enters 15th Year Of Semiconductor Design CommunitySynopsys a global leader providing software, IP and services used to accelerate innovation in chips and electronic systems, just finished hosting its 15th Synopsys Users Group (SNUG) conference in India to help engineers better address the productivity challenges they face when designing today’s chips and electronic systems. The conference, which has grown into the industry’s largest gathering of semiconductor professionals in India, highlights advancements in semiconductor design and verification that can be used to design even the most complex systems-on-chips (SoCs). More than 2900 leading SoC and system designers who are Synopsys tool and technology users attended the two-day conference June 25th and 26th at the Leela Palace in Bangalore, making it the largest SNUG India event to date. Launched in 2000, SNUG India is part of a global program that began in 1991 and includes 14 user conferences with nearly 10,000 participants around the world.SNUG India 2014 featured 39 user papers that discuss a range of topics, including early exploration, low power implementation and verification, test, mixed-signal verification, emulation and FPGA prototyping. Many of the papers presented address key challenges such as improving design productivity, achieving better quality of results (QoR) and designing for advanced technology nodes. In addition to the user papers, Synopsys offered 19 tutorials to showcase advances in tools and IP to help meet future design and technology challenges. A conference highlight was a peek into new game-changing design solutions from Synopsys, including the IC Compiler™ II system and the Verification Compiler™ platform.
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If you are craving some attention, just strap on a smartwatch — especially one like the Samsung Gear Fit. It’s got a curved, bright vibrantly- coloured screen that sits on your wrist like a bracelet and is guaranteed to turn heads and be a conversation starter. And when someone asks “What’s that you’re wearing?” you’ll find yourself stuck between wanting to say smartwatch and fitness band because the Gear Fit is trying to be both. I could be uncharitable and say it’s succeeding at neither but I think that isn’t Samsung’s problem alone; it’s something that the new wearables that are said to be about to flood the market still have to figure out — what do you really, really need them for?So, the Gear Fit, which will work with a couple of the most recent Samsung phones like the Galaxy S5, of course, and the Note 3, is an expensive piece of kit for something that hasn’t quite found its place yet. It’s Rs 15,550 in addition to the phone it has to pair with and have nearby to work. The Gear Fit is mercifully not clunky or heavy. You barely feel it on your wrist. The leather strap has lots of apertures to fit any size of wrist and it’s even interchangeable. But looking at it does present a bit of a tricky situation. As you lift your wrist (and the device comes on), the angle is a little awkward. The text on it can go into portrait mode but because it’s so narrow, that too is a bit strange. All the same, it’s very clear and readable, even in sunlight. Specifications1.84 inch curved Super AMOLED TouchscreenIP67 certified dust and water resistantAccellerometer, Gyrososcope, heart rate sensor2 to 4 daysbattery lifeThere’s a surprising number of settings to adjust the display, for something that small. There are some settings for left vs. right-handed use. As it sits on your wrist, the gadget senses when you’ve moved your hand to look at it and the screen turns itself on and then turns off when you’re done. This surely takes up some amount of battery, but it’s very convenient and frees you from fiddling with it too much.The Gear Fit has to work with a Gear Fit Manager app which the phone will prompt you to download. Once that’s done and your devices are paired via Bluetooth or NFC, you can well… tell the time. But no, there’s a few more things you can do. You can use it to control the music on your phone; you can get notifications and messages in case you don’t feel like pulling out your phone just at that moment. You can even reply with preset messages in some cases. But you can’t extend its features beyond this as there are no apps that you can add.As a fitness band, the Gear Fit can count your steps, tell you how peaceful your sleep was, track your exercise, and measure your heartbeat provided you keep still a moment. Commonly, people don’t find it’s that accurate, but more importantly, there isn’t much you can do with most of the information. True, you can speed up or slow down your walk or run to meet a required standard, but a fitness freak will need more in-depth analysis and highly accurate measurement.The Gear Fit’s battery lasts two to three days depending on how much you use it and it charges by using a tiny adaptor which clamps on to allow for the micro USB slot to be used. Lose the adaptor – and that’s big trouble.Samsung has a couple of other Gear watches as well. Overall, the Gear Fit is interesting looking but it doesn’t have a serious and really important use either on the watch or fitness side. More wearables are coming and unless you have money to spare for a toy, it’s best to wait for the next iteration. On the other hand, if you want to look cool, really cool.(This story was published in BW | Businessworld Issue Dated 14-07-2014)
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Sony's xperia z2 is one of the three top smartphones fighting it out for your wallet at the moment, the others being the Galaxy S5 and the HTC One M8. You could also count the Lumia 1020, which is in a class by itself because of its special camera. And, of course, there’s the iPhone 5S which one won’t argue with — for now.Someone seeing the Sony Z2 in my hand asked why the phone had two screens. And it’s true that with the display turned off it does look like the same back and front. Sandwiched on the sides is the metal, which is where all the buttons and flaps sit. In this department, the Sony Z2 looks different from other phones because all of its slots are behind flaps that keep it waterproof. With these securely shut you can actually take the phone underwater, in the shower, and through the rain. Sony has led the way with this waterproof business and it’s only more recently that others, including the Galaxy S5, have been featuring this sort of protection. The phone is also dust and scratch resistant.Also different about some of the Sony phones including the Z2 is the little round power button and a dedicated camera button on the right edge. As ever, the design of this phone is all straight lines, totally recognisable as a Sony phone. “Omnibalance” they like to call it. Straight, straight, straight, is what I call it. It’s very much like the Z1 and unless you were to examine that with the Z2 by its side, it’s difficult to tell the difference. And that’s fine, as design has certainly not been a problem with any of the Xperia phones. There were other issues, and it seems Sony listened.Definitely the best thing that Sony has refreshed in the Z2 is the screen which in its earlier version used to wash out at the slightest change of angle. This time, Sony has got it right as it gets on the path to catching up with others. The Galaxy S5 still has a more contrasting screen but the Z2’s 5.2-inch display is pretty good too. On the sound front, the HTC One M8 beats everyone else, though the Z2 has stereo sound and noise cancellation in the headphones. But considering it’s the maker of the Walkman, Sony should improve the sound on its handsets.The Z2 works with a more powerful processor — the most recent — and has more RAM than the Z1 did. It works without a hitch though I did encounter some stutter when browsing. Sony’s interface is light, not interfering with the Android experience too much. And that experience is overall smooth. Its battery does well, not only because it’s large, but also because of the battery saving software, “Stamina mode”.The camera can’t but be especially good on an expensive smartphone particularly from a company that makes cameras and has the expertise. The Z2’s camera is actually the same as the Z1’s except that something’s been done to get better pictures out of it. It’s still not a low-light specialist and I found that images shot outdoors would get noisy and blurred if a portion was in the shade. So don’t expect great results indoors. But in full daylight, photos were sharp and clear and detailed. There are several camera apps replete with options. The video shoots in 4k if you should find a need for that capability. There’s no optical image stabilisation. Let’s leave that for the Z3, shall we?Xperia Z2 is Rs 49,990 and includes a smartband worth Rs 5,990. Canon's Powershot G1 X Mark IICanon’s PowerShot G1 X Mark II, obviously the upgrade to the G1 X of 2012, is quite a chunk of a camera even in its new guise. It’s compact and portable – yet not light and pocket-able. The reason for the chunkiness, however, is what’s under the hood. The G1 X Mark II has a 1.5-inch sensor which is just short of an APS-C, as did the original G1 X. Its lens has a 5x optical zoom, equivalent of 24-120mm in 35mm terms. Digital zoom is 20x. Its max aperture is f/2 ranging to f/3.9. The camera is Wi-fi capable and can be controlled, in a limited fashion, via a smartphone using its app.However, it has a lot of design quirks that, combined with the weight, don’t improve the ergonomics. For one, it isn’t well balanced in the hand. The minimalistic grip on the front is too small for the weight of the device and doesn’t sit comfortably. Then there are a few button placements that are problematic: the flash trigger is too close to the clasp for the strap; the playback button is in an awkward place up top; the power button is too close to the mo-dial and the inner ring encircling the lens for aperture settings is stiff to use quickly when you’re taking a shot. There’s no electronic view finder, however, you can add one. The lenses are not interchangeable. The G1 X II is a 12.8 megapixel point-and-shoot. It does a not-bad job of low-light shooting and you can go right up close with it for macros, but I did find I often ended up with fuzzy pictures. However, it handles colours beautifully and accurately.(This story was published in BW | Businessworld Issue Dated 14-07-2014)
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Micromax, world's 10th largest mobile manufacturer, on Monday (16 June) showcased its Canvas Win series with the launch of two Windows OS based phones - Canvas Win W121 and Canvas Win W092. The USP of this launch is that it has brought together Microsoft (American software giant), Qualcomm (American global semiconductor company)and Micromax (Indian electronics manufacturer), the three pioneers who have been leveraging their technology as an enabler for the masses.Commenting on the launch, Mr. Sanjay Kapoor, Chairman, Micromax said, "With our vision to democratize technology and belief in providing consumers with choice of platforms, we are pleased to introduce a new range of Windows based phones. I am pleased that Micromax is the only Indian mobile phone brand to be present across the two most popular operating platforms in the world.""I congratulate Micromax on the launch of their first Windows Phone today. The Micromax Canvas Win will be available both in India and other emerging markets. Our deep engagement with local OEMs is one of the engines of growth for Windows Phone and we are proud of our partnership with Micromax." said Bhaskar Pramanik, Chairman, Microsoft India."We are excited to collaborate with Microsoft and Micromax, through the Qualcomm Reference Design Program by Qualcomm Technologies, to introduce one of the first Windows Phone 8.1 smartphones by an Indian brand, Canvas Win W121, powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor," said Avneesh Agrawal, President, Qualcomm India and South Asia. Powered by the new Windows Phone 8.1 operating system and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor, the Canvas Win W121 and Canvas Win W092 come with a 5 inch and a 4 inch display respectively. The dual-SIM Micromax Canvas Win 121 has a battery capacity of 2000 mAh battery. Users can capture all their favourite moments with the 8MP rear camera with flash and connect with their friends and family over Skype using the 2MP front camera. The internal storage of 8 GB is expandable upto 32 GB. The smaller phone, Canvas Win W092, is equipped with a 5MP rear camera with flash and 0.3MP front camera. With a 1GB RAM and 8GB ROM, users can store all their music, videos, images and documents. Both smartphones support Bluetooth version 4.0 and Wi-Fi, ensuring full time connectivity for the social media buffs. Microsoft's cloud storage tool OneDrive adds many other capabilities such as Bing, Skype, Xbox Games, Office 365 and more to give consumers added value.The two phones differ only in terms of build quality, screen size and battery life and of course, pricing!The Canvas Win W121 and Canvas Win W092 priced at Rs 9,500 and Rs 6,500 respectively, will be available across retail stores and e-commerce portals starting early July 2014.
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We have a beauty on our hands. After the iPhone, it’s really the HTC One that has been admired for its design — and the new version, also called the M8, takes its seduction-by-metal philosophy further. It’s larger than its 4.7-inch predecessor and the edges are rounded to make it easier to hold. From the front, it’s the signature HTC look, with chamfered edges and the speaker grills up top and bottom. These give the HTC One its Boom Sound, easily the best audio experience on a smartphone, if you don’t use external speakers. The full-blooded, rich sound adds wonderfully to the avid consumption of videos, music and movies that this country is so sold on.The back of the HTC One is smooth as silk. It’s got that brushed metal look and is wonderful to the touch. The phone is supposed to be 90 per cent metal, according to HTC. The problem is though that it’s so smooth it can just glide and ooze out of your hand and crash to the floor. So many reviewers report having dropped it that I clutch it extra tight at all times. It’s sad that such beautiful phones end up having to be put into cases, but that’s a fact and best if you want to protect it as much as possible.The M8 isn’t just about beauty though. It’s got top-end specs and is slow at nothing. HTC’s Sense 6 interface works with Android 4.4.2 for a light and smooth experience. In fact it’s on the beauty and smoothness front that the Galaxy S5 compares unfavourably with it, sporting the usual Samsung look and using the TouchWiz interface that is full of tricks but invariably slows things down.It’s on the features front that the Galaxy S5 beats the M8 — and just about any other smartphone. Now that it works with a smartwatch, the S5 has enough to keep a user occupied until the next version comes around.But that’s not to say the HTC One is low on features. It doesn’t have the same kind of multi-tasking for example, but it does have a beautiful implementation of its Blink Feed, the news feed style content consumption feature that you access with a mere side-swipe. Samsung too has an equivalent now, but HTC, who originated it, does a finessed job of it as it does with everything else on the device. You can tap twice to wake it up, circumventing the annoyingly placed power button on top, lift the phone to receive a call, and more.A distinctive feature of the M8 you can see on the back is the camera. As before, it’s a 4 megapixel — or rather, “ultra-pixel” shooter, designed to let in more light. But it’s also a “dual camera” with one portion dedicated to quickly capturing additional information such as the distance of the objects around which then helps to achieve that bokeh look. It sounds very impressive, but when you get down to it, it’s a mixed bag. The photographs you take indoors are actually filled with light and not blurred out or noisy. Outdoors, there just isn’t enough detail and clarity on distant objects or zooming in. It is, after all, all of four megapixels and although megapixels never tell the whole story, they’re needed if you want big detailed pictures.But everyone does not in fact want picture-perfection. Many users are more interested in casually taking a shot and uploading it. For that, the camera does fine, as does the 5MP front camera, especially there for selfies. So, to sum up the cameras — fun for casual shooting, “Zoe” music-and-movement shows and indoor pics. Not so great for high- end phone photography for which Nokia’s 1020 is currently the best.There are rumours that higher-end models of the M8 are on their way, sporting a 13MP camera. There may also be a ‘mini’ variant. Asus Tranformer Book TrioWe’ve got to hand it to Asus. They really don’t hesitate to innovate. For the past few years they’ve been tinkering with their “Transformer” devices and their PadFones and FonePads and while they may not be awfully creative with their names, they certainly explore different ways of making tablets and laptops.The Transformer Book Trio (TX201LA-CQ003P is the model I reviewed) is a 11.6-inch laptop-tablet hybrid. But you could say it’s a double hybrid because it runs both Windows 8 and Android, when the two parts are attached. There’s a key for that and it just takes one press to switch from one OS to the other.The Trio is solid and very Asus-like, if you’ve seen any of the company’s other products. There’s meat in both the parts of this hybrid — a processor for the tablet and a keyboard for the dock, which you can even attach to another screen to run. In that way, it can actually be used by two people. The processors are Intel Core™ i7-4500U ( up to 3.0 GHz, 4M) and an Intel Atom™ Z2560 (1.60 GHz, 1M). It also has two batteries: 19WHR and 33WHR. The Android part has a longer battery life. And we’re not done — it has two cameras.The screen is a nice bright one with eye-popping colours and no washing out at different angles. The keyboard too is pretty good. At Rs 98,099, this duo isn’t exactly cheap, so one has to decide if one will really use it as both laptop and tablet. The tablet part is of course a bit landscapey and in portrait mode is elongated and not quite comfortable for say, reading a book. It’s also not very light. You also need to figure out whether you’re likely to use Android in that format.(This story was published in BW | Businessworld Issue Dated 30-06-2014)
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Philips Mobile, on Wednesday (28 May) announced its entry into the Indian mobile market with its new range of smartphones W6610, W3500, S308 and also a feature phone E130 targeted at business professionals, technology enthusiasts and durability segment. CEC sees a huge opportunity in the Indian smartphone market and aggressively aiming to provide innovative and stylish phones to the wide segment of consumers, where patterns and preferences are constantly evolving. The products are priced between INR 1, 960 - INR 35,000.On the occasion of the launch, Mr. SS Bassi, Country Manager, SAARC Sangfei said, “We are glad to enter the Indian market with the latest models of Philips mobiles that are designed to suit the requirements of Indian consumers. India is at the forefront of global technology and is a growing market.Ultra-High Speed SD Cards LaunchedStrontium, a leading digital storage brand from Singapore, on Wednesday launched its finest and fastest range – the ultra-high speed Nitro Plus, in the Indian market. The much awaited range of products by Strontium consists of UHS-I Speed Class 3 (U3) SD and microSD cards, which enable consumers to capture and watch 4K2K and Ultra HD pictures and videos on their high performance cameras, tablets and smartphones.Strontium Nitro Plus UHS-1 Class 3 cards guarantee performance of at least 60MB/s read and 40 MB/s write, enough bandwidth to allow users to capture cinema quality Full HD (1080p), Ultra HD (2160p), 4K and 3D videos on their DSLRs and camcorders and then play them on their UHD TVs, laptops and smartphones with stunning colors and clarity. Moreover, all Nitro Plus cards are waterproof and shockproof. Indusface Targets The $1Bn+ WAF MarketIndusface, a leading and award winning total application security company,on Wednesday announced the general availability of IndusGuard WAF, the industry’s first SECaaS (security as a service) Web Application Firewall and Fully Managed Application DDoS (distributed denial-of-service)solution. IndusGuard WAF provides out-of-the-box, plug and play,real-time monitoring and protection for critical web applications in the cloud and on premise andis the industry’s first to guarantee zero WAF false positive.“Given the increase in the number of cyber attacks on web applications and the sophisticated methods being employed to bypass defenses, IndusGuard WAF along with the DDoS solution is the industry’s first to provide in-depth detection, defense and protection to mission critical web applications”, said Ashish Tandon, Chairman & CEO, Indusface.TÜV SÜD South Asia Authorised To Conduct CPRE The International Requirements Engineering Board, Germany (IREB) on Wednesday announced that it has authorised TÜV SÜD South Asia to conduct the internationally acclaimed – CPRE (Certified Professional for Requirements Engineering) Examinations. Under the authorisation, Examination Institute of TÜV SÜD South Asia’s Academy will conduct examinations in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Australia, Singapore, Philippines and the Middle East Region. The IREB is a non-profit organisation that has developed the CPRE (Certified Professional for Requirements Engineering) certification scheme.The authorisation by IREB is a testimony of the global expertise of our Academy Division and we look forward to conducting the examinations in the regions allocated to us”, said Mr. Mario Rodrigues, Senior Vice President - Management Systems Business Division, Academy Division and Certification Division, TÜV SÜD South Asia.Strong Show By Solar IndustriesDomestic sales in solar industries grew 6.8 per cent YoY despite challenging environment. While the consolidated EBITDA margin was up 230bps YoY, the overseas subsidiaries performed well. However, sluggish volume YoY remains a key negative.Management indicated that demand environment has picked up recently that could result in better volume in ensuing quarters. Management also expects the overall volumes to grow at 20 per cent YoY in FY15. Further, overseas subsidiaries are also expected to perform well.Bengaluru Gets New Data & Analytics Lab KPMG International on Wednesday announced the launch of KPMG Insights Labs, a virtual R&D center that will serve as a global innovation hub with the aim to incubate and develop data-driven business solutions for KPMG member firms’ clients.In November 2013, KPMG International announced the launch of KPMG Capital a fund created to accelerate innovation in D&A services and solutions. And, since December 2013, KPMG member firms in the US, UK and Australia announced a number of acquisitions or partnerships that are designed to offer D&A and digital solutions to clients helping them manage risk and cost, and drive growth.As the global R&D resource for D&A solutions, which all of KPMG’s member firms worldwide can access, the Insights Labs will undertake R&D for the assets acquired by KPMG Capital as well as for existing KPMG intellectual property.Aakash iConnect LaunchedAakash Educational Services Limited, the leader in classroom education for Medical and Engineering entrance preparations, now introduces a gen-next digital learning experience with Aakash iConnect. Launched on 28th May, the portal has already gotten an overwhelming response from students, parents and teachers community.For students, iConnect provides access to Aakash’s high quality video lectures, study materials and tests online. It is targeted at class XI & XII students aspiring for Medical and Engineering entrance exams as well as class VIII, IX & X students aiming to perform well in their school/board exams besides junior level competitive exams like NTSE, KVPY, JSTSE, Olympiads etc.Aakash iConnect also gives students a flexibility to choose what they want – they can buy the complete course or just a Subject/Chapter of their choice. Chapters are available at price starting from Rs 99 and packages price start from Rs 10,999.Foxconn's Containerised Data CentersFoxconn, a leading manufacturer of computer components and system's server and data center business group has been developing fourth-generation containerized data centers with PUE (power usage effectiveness) rising to 1.25-1.30.The company is trying to improve energy efficiency for its containerized data centers through the integrated use of renewable energy such as PV systems. Power Usage Effectiveness is a measure of energy efficiency specifically for data centers, expressed as a ratio of total amount of energy used by a data center to energy used by the data center's IT equipment alone. The ideal PUE is 1. For reference, the PUE for Yahoo's data center in Lockport, New York, stands at 1.08, Facebook's data center in Prineville, Oregon, has a PUE of 1.07, and Google's data centers have an average PUE of 1.16.Bonita Ties Up With FabFurnishAiming to expand the reach of its products for online shoppers, India’s leading home utility product maker Bonita has forged an alliance with FabFurnish, India’s leading online retailer of home furniture, furnishings, décor items and kitchenware.Bonita had earlier entered into deals with a series of online selling portals including Snapdeal, Indiatimes, PepperFry, among others, to bring their hot favourite products into the e-commerce domain.Cleo County Recognised By WCRCABA Corp's Cleo County has been recognised by WCRC (World Consulting and Research Corporation) for their marquee project, Cleo County. The township won the Brand Innovation Award for Best Theme Based Project in Asia for exquisite landscaping with a cultural connect. This achievement has further strengthened the company’s resolve to bring international concepts of landscaping and theme based architecture to the Indian shores.Cleo County with its Egyptian theme based design has been one of the most ambitious projects of ABA Corp, where luxury living is redefined with modern architecture, accentuated with unsurpassed quality and design. Tweeplay For TwitterTenTenTen Digital Products, the Bangalore based company that creates digital assets for brands, on Wednesday announced that it has collaborated with StarSports.com and Twitter to conceive and create ‘Tweeplay’, one of the first ever on-demand video replay products for Twitter in the world.TenTenTen has offered Tweeplay as a service to StarSports.com for the Pepsi IPL Playoffs. TenTenTen will manage the technology and product, right from identifying and interpreting a user’s request, to delivering the video playing card on Twitter. Ramesh Srivats, MD & CEO, TenTenTen said, “Tweeplay is a great way for media houses to offer snack-sized content on-demand in Twitter. A lot of Twitter conversations are centered on prime-time moments. Tweeplay will enable content marketers to engage deeply with those who are immersed in conversations around content by providing the context in the form of the video."
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Motorola Mobility on Tuesday (13 May) launched its latest smartphone - Moto E in India. The interesting part is that India is the first market where the phone is launhced. This was followed up with simultaneous launch events in 5 other countries. Magnus Ahlqvist, Corporate Vice President, EMEA and APAC, Motorola Mobility said, "Moto E is an incredible powerful smartphone designed for buyers who are price sensitive and those eho have not been able to experience the internet on their feature phones. We have been succesful in packing spectacular features at a price which we believe would be affordable for buyers in india and other emerging markets. We are focussed on bringing smart solutions for real consumer problems."Motorola Moto E sports a 4.3 inch qHD display and is powered up by a dual core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and 1 GB of RAM. The screen is smudge free and is protected by Corning Gorilla 3 protection. The phone can support dual SIM cards. The internal memory of 4 GB can be expanded to a maximum of 32 GB via a micro SD card. Motorola Moto E features a 5 MP primary camera sans flash. The cost cutting has been done in the camera department and it is further visible with the absence of a front camera. Motorola has put in a 1980 mAh battery to keep the phone up and running. Moto E is available in black and white colour options with the option of coloured back plates. Users can purchase the debvice exclusively through Flipkart starting tonight at 00:00 hours.
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