Blaupunkt launches 4 ‘Made in India’ Android smart TVs starting at Rs 14,999

 erman consumer electronics giant Blaupunkt launched four ‘Made-in-India’ Android TV models today in India. The brand has entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with the Indian contract manufacturer Super Plastronics Pvt Ltd (SPPL). As per the licensing contract, Blaupunkt’s manufacturing, branding, designing, packaging, and retailing supply chain will be handled by SPPL, the 30-year-old manufacturer of home-grown brands. The products will be available to customers from July 10th onwards on India’s homegrown e-commerce marketplace, Flipkart.

 

With pricing starting from INR 14,999, the four Android TV models include a 32-inch HD Ready Cybersound Android TV, a 42-inch FHD Android TV, a 43-inch Cybersound 4K Android TV and 55-inch 4K Android TV. The 32-inch version is available at Rs 14,999, powered by Android 9 is bezel-less which comes with 40W speaker output, Edge-free sound technology, 2 speakers, and 1 GB Ram and 8 GB ROM to offer a smooth viewing experience. The 42- inch FHD Android TV is priced at Rs 21,999, powered by Android 9 and includes an Ultra-Thin Bezel, 40W speaker output, Edge-free sound technology, 2 speakers, 1GB Ram and 8GB ROM. The brand has incorporated a 50W speaker output in the 43-inch 4K TV which is bezel-less and priced at Rs 30,999. It has Dolby Digital Plus, DTS TruSurround certified audio with 4 amazing speakers and has used Dolby MS12 sound technology that can decode and improve Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital Plus powered sound technologies. The model is powered by Android 10 and is inbuilt with a 2GB Ram and 8GB ROM.

An exquisite 55-inch model priced at Rs 40,999 is bezel-less and has a 60W speaker output with Dolby Digital Plus, DTS TruSurround certified audio, Dolby MS12 sound technology that can decode and improve Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital Plus powered sound technologies, Android 10, 2GB Ram, 8GB Rom and 4 speakers just like the 43-inch version. Interestingly, all the models have 5.0 Bluetooth, 2 USB ports, 3 HDMI ports along with voice-enabled remote and ARM Cortex A53 Processor.

 

Millions of customers across the country will be able to access the latest ‘Made in India’ TVs at their doorsteps through Flipkart in an affordable, safe and hygienic manner.

 

Excited about getting the exclusive brand license of Blaupunkt in India, Avneet Singh Marwah, CEO, Super Plastronics PVT LTD (SPPL) said “We are extremely delighted to onboard a well-loved and well-recognized Germany based consumer electronics giant Blaupunkt. With Blaupunkt’s footprint and launch of the Android TV models in India, we would continue being committed to embracing our ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ or Self-reliant India momentum. Our existing partnership with Flipkart will play a key role in taking the new generation of smart TVs to millions of its customers across the country. With this launch, we expect to gain our market share by 15% in the next 3 years.”

Commenting on the launch and tie-up with SPPL, Andrzej Cebrat, Managing Director GIP Development/BLAUPUNKT Brand Licensing said “The superiority and agelessness of Blaupunkt is our asset. Our brand’s foundation dates back to 1924 and since then Blaupunkt has been effortlessly providing true-to-life consumer electronic appliances at affordable prices. Today, with our exclusive tie-up with the long-established manufacturing company SPPL Pvt Ltd, we wish to tap into every Indian household with our best-in-class Android Television models that promise a flagship cinematic experience”

 

Hari G. Kumar, Vice-President, Large Appliances at Flipkart said, “The TV viewing experience of customers have gone through an overhaul over the years with smart TVs taking precedence in Indian households. Flipkart is at the forefront of fulfilling these evolving requirements of customers by working with brand partners to bring the best-in-class technology solutions. We have a long-standing relationship with SPPL and are excited to take it ahead with the launch of Blaupunkt’s TVs in India with Flipkart.”

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ZinQ Technologies targeting 100% localisation within the next six months; starts exporting to the Middle East

 An amazon-exclusive gadgets and accessories brand, ZinQ Technologies has become one of the most popular choices for consumer technology and IT peripherals. The company has announced its aim to manufacture 100% localised gadgets including headphones, power banks, keyboards, mouse, etc. by December 2021. The company counts its cutting-edge technology embedded with great design, quality products and experience as its USP.

ZinQ Technologies stands committed to the government of India’s vision to turn the country into a global consumer electronics manufacturing hub under the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ initiative. With an eye on exports and reducing the reliance on imports from countries like China, South Korea, Japan, Vietnam and Taiwan among others, ZinQ aims at creating opportunities for India’s youth. 

 

Supply chain disruption caused by COVID-19 is another factor that has pushed the company to manufacture and source more & more components locally. 

 

Speaking about the development, Arnav Mutneja Founder & Director, ZinQ Technologies said, Currently, close to 50% of our products are sourced from our vendors in India. We still have to depend on imports as we do not have great quality suppliers in India for some key components. However, we are working rigorously with our suppliers and partners to fill in such gaps and reduce our dependence on imports in order to achieve our ambition of 100% localization which we are certain to achieve by the end of this year.”

 

Commenting on the export plans, he further adds, “Today, we are not only manufacturing to meet the rising demand of our products in India but also in the global markets. We are betting on the export strategy as the next stage of growth. This will be a proud moment for our country as we are rapidly working towards our vision to support the Make in India initiative. Our new expansion will showcase India’s skill and talent to produce quality products that will cater to global markets”. 

 

Apart from meeting the domestic demand, ZinQ Technologies products are now being exported to the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia and Dubai. In the near future, ZinQ Technologies also aims to export their products to European markets including the United Kingdom, Spain, France, Italy, and Germany. 

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GoPaisa announces Earnly, a new deal sharing platform; helps individuals make easy money

GoPaisa, Cashback and Coupons Website in India has launched a deal-sharing platform, Earnly. The platform is aimed at securing people an easy and regular income source. Through this new platform, users including - students, housewives, working professionals, bloggers, influencers, etc., can earn extra income and can pocket real cash worth up to Rs. 30,000 per month.

Catering to Indian Cashback and Coupons industry for over 8 years, GoPaisa identified the scope for a more user-friendly platform that also enables extra income for users. The brand understood that affiliate marketing demands a keen knowledge of deep-linking, sub id tracking, and more. Earnly eliminates all these challenges by introducing an easy-to-use platform tailored to users who want to earn extra money by sharing curated deals for any online retailer.

The income link creation platform allows anyone who is looking to earn by promoting the top brands, to create unique income links for free with attractive income rates offered across the brands. The user may further make money via sharing those link in their network and social media platforms.

Earnly distinguishes itself by providing added advantage to the users like zero investment, direct approval from tom e-retailers for affiliation, around 30 per cent commission etc.

“A lot of people are spending more time online due to various restrictions implemented owing to the novel coronavirus. While doing so some people also wish to explore new options to earn extra money as they try to sail through the current pandemic hit times. This helped us understand that a platform like Earnly is required now more than ever. Also, considering that the e-Commerce market has witnessed a boom, all this together can open a pandora box of opportunities for millions of users,” said Mrs. Ankita Jain- Co-founder, GoPaisa and Earnly.

The app already flaunts a portfolio of reputed brands including Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, Ajio, OnePlus,mamaearth, Oneplus, 1mg, Norton etc. and expands across key categories like BFSI, Fashion, Medicines, Grocery,Personal care, travel, digital products.

The brand has been developed on a strong technology backbone along with a simplified interface to make the app user-friendly. Considering convenience the utmost priority, Earnly provides a single panel to monitor all the earnings. Eliminating any possible hassle of contacting retailer for payouts, the platform credits the profit for every successful sale through an Income Link directly in the Earnly account of the user. Further, the platform is assisted by a round the clock customer support as well.

With the launch of Earnly, the brand has unveiled a new facet of affiliate marketing and is adding around 1000 plus new influencers on a daily basis already, and is targeting over 5 lac Earnly active influencers by end of 2021 calendar year.

People can join the platform by visiting https://www.earnly.in/

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Barco partners with Jabra for an unbeatable hybrid meeting experience with ClickShare Conference

Singapore, 07 July 2021 – Barco, a leader in professional meeting room visualization and collaboration technology, announced a tie-up with leading engineering communications and sound solutions, Jabra, in the Asia Pacific region. The two audiovisual powerhouses have joined forces to promote the easy adoption of simple, one-click wireless conferencing for organizations as they embrace hybrid working to create more intuitive meeting experiences in-person and remotely.

Barco’s ClickShare Conference and Jabra video collaboration solutions are fully agnostic, mix-and-match conference functionalities for meeting room spaces of all sizes and can work seamlessly with everything, everywhere. It is as simple as selecting a device, choosing a videoconferencing platform and display of choice, and clicking to conference. With few easy steps, everyone in the meeting - whether remote or physically present - is seen and heard. With quick, easy, and frictionless functions, IT managers can quickly prepare hybrid meeting spaces for returning employees.

As employees have become more accustomed to working from home, they have developed a preference for Bring Your Own Meeting (BYOM) models (70%) according to a recent ClickShare survey. The survey also indicated that many office workers struggled with hosting meetings from the office, with 48 percent finding it difficult to connect to meeting rooms. Another 65 percent struggled with figuring out different setups when moving between meeting spaces. With the average worker spending 0.5 more days in the office in 2021 than they did in 2020, organizations must be prepared to accommodate meeting and videoconferencing needs of their onsite workforce.

As organizations embrace hybrid ways of working, connecting in-room and remote participants in meetings is still far from an engaging experience. With video calls becoming a necessity nowadays, businesses need to invest in flexible, straightforward video meeting ecosystems to enable seamless collaboration to grow their productivity. The survey further states that 42 percent of respondents felt that their employer did not prioritize critical investments in videoconferencing tools. Barco’s ClickShare Conference and Jabra video collaboration solutions enable organizations to have better hybrid meetings with superior audio and video features.

Addressing today’s meeting challenges with Barco and Jabra solutions

To navigate a hybrid workforce investing in a seamless video conferencing experience has become more important than ever. The joint conferencing solution helps to address the core challenges faced by today’s IT managers, business leaders and everyday users. 

Barco and Jabra are introducing a solution bundle for the Asia Pacific market to enable easy adoption of the integrated solution. With today's changing workplace strategies, this solution responds to more hybrid ways of working and boosts employee productivity, no matter where they are physically located. 

IT managers are looking for easy to use, install and manage video conferencing solutions that work together seamlessly. Responding to the need for minimal IT support with simple deployment and ease of use, the solution allows IT teams to leverage existing technology for an integrated and secure video conferencing solution.

Moreover, the BYOM experience is simple and intuitive, allowing users to continue using their preferred conferencing devices and tools without missing a beat. Jabra and Barco's solution is flexible, enabling users and business leaders alike to see the full picture, hear the whole story inside the meeting room, and make connections with in-office, as well as remote colleagues.

The joint conference solutions enable anyone to turn any room into a collaborative workspace. With Barco’s ClickShare Conference combined with Jabra PanaCast 50, or Jabra PanaCast and Speak, users can easily start a meeting from their own devices, using their preferred conferencing platform within seconds.

"As a leader in wireless presentation and conferencing, Barco's partnership with Jabra ensures that we provide the best value in product offerings and affordability to help organisations reap the benefits of excellent hybrid meeting experiences," said Marc Remond, Vice President of Meeting and Learning Experiences at Barco APAC. "Office workers expect their employer to invest in superior videoconferencing solutions, while business leaders trust their in-office and remote workers to stay engaged and productive. We find that we are addressing a critical need in the changing workplace with the Jabra and ClickShare solution."

Bring your own meeting. See the full picture. Hear the whole story.

Jabra PanaCast 50, Jabra PanaCast and Jabra Speak are certified for ClickShare Conference (CX-20, CX-30 and CX-50), which allows remote and local participants to see the full picture, hear the full story and collaborate like in a face-to-face meeting.

“We are excited about the Barco-Jabra collaboration. With the Jabra PanaCast 50 fully optimised for ClickShare, a plug-and-play solution with easy installation and simple setup gives employees access to a seamless meeting experience for enhanced collaboration and improved productivity,” said Wayne Lee, Head of Product and Alliance at Jabra APAC.

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Financial Planning Standards Board Launches Final Education Course Leading to CFP Certification in India

 Financial Planning Standards Board Ltd. (FPSB Ltd.), the organization that leads the global financial planning profession and owns the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER certification program in India, announced today the launch of its FPSB® Integrated Financial Planning Course. This comprehensive financial planning course, which integrates global and local content and includes financial plan assessment and mentorship components, has been designed to enhance and assess the knowledge, skills and abilities of candidates for CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERCM certification in India. Candidates who successfully complete the course, pass the CFP exam and meet additional initial certification requirements will be eligible to join the growing community of more than 2,000 CFP professionals in India and more than 192,000 CFP professionals worldwide.

 

The FPSB® Integrated Financial Planning Course will be delivered through FPSB Ltd.’s online learning platform and consists of the following three interactive modules:

 

• “Financial Planning Principles, Process & Skills”: Covers the financial planning process and fundamental practices; the benefits and impacts of financial planning; how to apply financial planning principles during client engagements; and the value of professional standards of practice and professional skills.

 

• “Engaging Clients in the Financial Planning Process”: Focuses on human qualities of the planner-client relationship, and how clients’ values, attitudes and experiences impact the financial planning engagement.

 

• “Developing Effective Financial Plans”: Provides an overview of the areas to be addressed in developing a financial plan, including how to identify missing information.

 

To complete the course, candidates for CFP certification are required to develop and be assessed on a financial plan based on a case study issued by FPSB Ltd. Digital textbooks for each module, sample financial plans and supporting materials on creating a financial plan are provided in the course materials and further supplemented in the case study.

 

The FPSB® Integrated Financial Planning Course can be taken through one of FPSB Ltd.’s Authorized Education Providers in India or by self-study.

 

As part of the course, FPSB Ltd. is pleased to bring together experienced CFPCM practitioners and candidates by introducing an innovative mentorship program. Mentors who have stepped forward to share practical insights, knowledge and experience on the preparation of a financial plan with candidates working towards CFP certification in India are:

 

• Arun Thukral, CFP, (Mumbai) a start-up investor/advisor and BFSI consultant, formerly the managing director and CEO of Axis Securities Limited.

 

• B. Srinivasan, CFP, (Bengaluru) an entrepreneur, director of Shree Sidvin Group and founder president of the non-profit Council of Financial Planners (COFP).

 

• D.V. Suresh, CFP, (Hyderabad) founder of DVS Associates Pvt. Ltd., a financial planning practice advocating sound financial health for all.

 

• Kavita Devi, CFP, (Nashik) a CTEP Inheritance Planner and Registered Life Planner.

 

• Naresh Pachisia, CFP, (Kolkata) founder and managing director of SKP Securities Ltd., Eastern India’s leading boutique investment banker.

 

• Renu Maheshwari, CFP, (Chennai) co-founder of Finscholarz, providing fee-only financial planning and portfolio management services, and the first individual SEBI Registered Investment Adviser (RIA) in Tamil Nadu.

 

• Col. Sanjeev Govila (Retd), CFP, (Delhi) an individual SEBI RIA, founder and CEO of Hum Fauji Initiatives, a company dedicated to armed forces officers and their families.

 

“As interest in CFPCM certification continues to grow around the world, FPSB Ltd. is committed to supporting candidates on their journey to becoming CFP professionals in India,” says Noel Maye, FPSB Ltd. CEO. “CFP certification is the global symbol of excellence in financial planning, and I’m pleased the education course offerings leading to CFPCM certification in India are now complete with the addition of the FPSB® Integrated Financial Planning Course. Mentorship is a beautiful approach to foster synergies between candidates and practitioners, and I’m excited to see this program develop.”

 

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The ‘budding’ rise of ear-infections from earbuds

The audio category in India has witnessed some drastic changes in the gadgets and technology. From earphones to headphones to now wireless earbuds, the transformation has been quite huge. You will hardly find someone who does not own a pair of earbuds or who has not wish listed it in their Amazon account. Earbuds are becoming quite multi-functional these days when people are sitting at home while working or taking call or listening to music.

Despite though a convenience, earbuds possess risks to our health. Everyone at some point or the other has split headphones with their friends, family, borrowed a pair from a colleague and even left them at some place in the open only to find and use the next day. Sharing earphones is quite normal these days, when you really want to zone out, focus on a task or even just make others listen to your favourite song but not many realise that this can lead to significant ear-health issues and ear infection after prolonged use of earbuds.

Experts suggest sharing earbuds is not only unhygienic but risky too; when one shares or uses another person’s earbuds, they let that person’s bacteria into their ears, which can lead to ear infection and other ailments. According to health experts, earbuds do the wearer more harm than good, our ears our naturally built to protect themselves but when this natural process is obstructed it can lead to significant health issues. No earbuds today are designed mindful of the health risks they bring nor do they try to reduce it.

Owing to the compact size, it’s easy to leave them lying around, risking the development of bacteria. Unless you sanitize them, your earbuds have probably accumulated a great deal of dirt and bacteria. The major cause of this is the presence of the bacteria in the ear gel, and inadequate cleanliness of the same. To ensure that people can enjoy using their earbuds without worrying about the hygiene of their ears, LGs launched TONEFREE Wireless earbuds, with innovative UV Nano Technology are capable of sanitizing and eliminating bacteria. India’s 1st 99.9% Bacteria-Free Earbuds, an industry first innovation, the LG TONEFREE come with an UV Nano charging cradle to keep the earbuds bacteria free, giving the wearer enhanced hygiene and protection after every charge. The earbuds also have medical-grade ear gels that conform to the ear shape.

It is important to use the earbuds mindfully to reduce the risk of infections. Taking breaks and ensuring proper sanitisation is important while using them on a day-to-day basis.

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Park+ to offer next-gen parking solutions for Smartworks

 Park+, India's leading provider of automated Smart Parking solutions, announced that it has been selected by India's largest managed office space provider to Enterprises- Smartworks, to provide a next-gen parking experience in its office campuses.

As a part of this engagement, Park+ will enable campus administration for the flex space provider by automating parking allocation and managing seamless entry and exit of vehicles in and out of the premises. The unique RFID tag affixed on every car will ensure the movement of authorised vehicles only. The solution will help save time where real-time parking slots availability will be visible to members through Smartworks mobile app. 

Speaking on the solution, Amit Lakhotia, Founder of Park+, said, "Both Smartworks and Park+ are working towards elevating the experience of corporates and office-goers across metro cities. The users will now be able to check the real-time availability of parking lots on a mobile app, which will help them save time, reduce stress and save on fuel. Also, as more and more people are looking at personal vehicles for a daily commute, corporates are partnering with Park+ to enable their employees to access our 70,000+ parking slots network and ensuring that they are no more constrained by the number of parking available in a specific building. By getting nearby parking on our platform, we have more than doubled the parking spaces available to users at various Smartworks campuses."

Neetish Sarda, Founder of Smartworks, said, "We are building offices of the future, and technology will be the key driver.  Our digitally-enabled office campuses are in line with our vision of offering contactless and efficient workspaces to clients. Our association with Park+ will help automate the first touch-point of our member's daily office schedule – "parking". In addition, it will remove the need for manual authentication of vehicles, improve access controls and further elevate the security profile of the campuses."

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LG offers Health and Wellness benefits with announcement of its latest "Live a New Life" Campaign

LG Electronics, India’s leading consumer durable brand for 25 years cares for its consumers with its Health and Hygiene Products. The tech giant has announced its latest “Live a New Life” consumer benefit for its home appliances category. Under this initiative, consumers can avail health and wellness gift vouchers of up to INR 20,000. LG has always inspired its consumers towards a healthier lifestyle.

 

Keeping in line with its beliefs, LG recently introduced various innovative technologies which enhance health & hygiene for its consumers such as Steam technology in Washing machines that provide a 99.99% Germ free & allergen free environment, a first of its kind water purifier with Digital Sterilizing Care™ feature that sterilizes the entire water path, faucet, and tank, air conditioners with a built-in air purifier and double filtration technology and refrigerators with Hygiene Fresh+ feature that involves a 5 step air-purifying system which removes upto 99.999% bacteria and minimizes bad odour. LG Styler is a perfect clothing care solution in today’s scenario with unique True steam ^TM technology that eliminates over 99.9% of viruses, bacteria & allergens as certified by renowned external agencies. 

 

The unique consumer offers have been launched considering the recent consumer demands and the recently growing preference towards personal health & wellness. Due to the current scenario, most consumers are apprehensive to step outside and prefer resorting to Online Doctor Consultations from the safety and comfort of their homes. Also, with multiple outlets to get free home delivery options, consumers prefer buying medicines online based on their prescriptions and doctor’s advice. Based on these consumer insights, the Health & Wellness Gift vouchers announced will thereby help consumers to get up to 1 year complimentary online doctor consultation, early health checks and access to the adoption of yoga & meditation through various health and wellness apps. All details pertaining to offer are available at https://www.lg.com/in/live-new-life.

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Eccentric Engine Collaborates With Citroën India To Offer Captivating Realtime 3D Product Visualization

 Eccentric Engine, the renowned Technology Incubator and Product Visualization company has joined hands with leading French automobile company, Citroën to provide next-level immersive and interactive experience for its newly launched Citroën C5 Aircross SUV in India.

The proprietary, algorithm based, One 3D Visualization Platform by Eccentric Engine is seamlessly integrated at both online and in-dealerships touchpoints to provide a superior product experience by means of real-time 3D visualization. The latest technology upgrades of the One 3D leverages ‘Photorealism’ to render vehicle visuals in a realistic and captivating way, making the experience a first-of-its-kind in the Indian and global automotive industry.

The 3D Configurator, which is engaging customers right from the start, resides on the company’s’ website and offers a cinematic experience of the Citroën Advanced Comfort Program, class-leading product features and exciting accessories options to bring alive a true ATAWADAC experience for its customers.     

Saurabh Vatsa, Brand Head, Citroën India said, “We are excited with the customer response to the High Definition 3D Configurator developed by Eccentric Engine. This extremely realistic visualisation experience ties up very well with our brand ethos of Citroën 360-degree Comfort to enhance the overall customer journey through our AnyTime AnyWhere AnyDevice AnyContent [ATAWADAC] strategy. While the new C5 Aircross SUV is our first vehicle to adapt this technology, our continuous endeavour will be to provide Indian customers unique and ingenious experiences across our brands, reiterating our commitment to be the digital reference in the Indian automotive industry.”

Excited about the new collaboration, Varun Shah, co-founder & CEO, Eccentric Engine, said, “We are excited to partner with Citroën and contribute to their digital journey as they mark their debut in India. While developing Photorealistic CGI Images has been a common practice in the automotive Industry, with the new Citroën C5 Aircross SUV, we have democratized Photorealistic 3D Visualization for the Internet. This is first in the Industry not only in India, but across the world. The latest update takes vehicle exploration to a whole new level.”

In current circumstances, where showroom visits are limited, the new virtual 3D                   e-commerce trends are encouraging and testify the significance of this cutting-edge digital interface. 

Within a 3-month launch of the 3D Configurator on the company website, the web engagement grew manifold, setting new benchmarks: 

• More than 250,000 people from multiple Indian cities such as Bengaluru, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune and Mumbai were hooked online to explore the 

C5 Aircross SUV in 3D from the comfort of their own homes.      

• Explorers nearly spent 5.9 Lakh minutes evaluating and considering the product

• Recorded over 38 Lakh interactions.

Besides online, showrooms are being prepped with personalized 1:1 Experience Zones that has been set up at all La Maison Citroën dealerships across India to ensure a seamless 3D experience with specially trained staff to exhibit the 3D Configurator to accentuate the user experience with the power of One 3D Visualization. 

Citroën customers will be ‘Phygitally’ up-and-close and immersed as:

• The materials, textures and elements used in the vehicle are authentic and give an account of the real car

• The lighting, shadows and reflections give an added sense of realism

• Citroën Advanced Comfort Program is explained immersive with interactive demonstration of differentiated features

• Multiple product variants and trims can be seen back-to-back in 3-Dimensional

• Accessories can be easily overlaid, previewed in real time to aid decision making to book their preferred choice, removing ambiguity and ensuring customers get what they see and desire. 

Customers can explore the power of One 3D Visualization by clicking on the link below

https://www.citroen.in/car-configurator-online

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Flipkart introduces ‘Back to College’ program to offer an enhanced learning experience to students

 Flipkart, India’s homegrown e-commerce marketplace, has introduced a Back to College program to facilitate the educational needs of millions of students as they begin their classes virtually this year. Under the program construct, Flipkart is making available a wide selection of computing devices and bundled education content through tie-ups with leading edtech players including Edukemy and Simplilearn. As part of the initiative, over 400 courses across coding, AI and competitive entrance examinations will be available to students among a plethora of learning choices. This initiative aims at enhancing the learning potential of students as digital learning takes precedence.

As students prepare to move into a new academic year, the “online learning” scenario, triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic, continues to lead them to upgrade their education essentials with the best computing devices to make their learning process more intuitive and impactful. As part of the nearly 3-month initiative which started in June, Flipkart has curated a special page on the platform to help students select the right computing and electronic items such as laptops, tablets, printers, audio devices and IT peripherals along with online learning materials depending on one’s primary use case. As part of the campaign, students looking for laptops and tablets will receive options post purchase to pick relevant courses from the edtech partners in an affordable manner.

Students can now get learning modules from leading edtech companies along with their purchase of laptops and tablets during the 3-month long campaign

Rakesh Krishnan, Senior Director, Electronics at Flipkart, said, “As students get ready for the new academic year and are now better acquainted with virtual learning, we are closely working with our brand partners to bring the best-in-class computing products, combined with courses and content to enhance their learning experience. With nearly 40-45% of the demand for electronics coming from the student community and the significant rise in the adoption of online learning since last year, the industry is now shaping its offerings to cater to this fast-growing customer segment and bring various interventions. Through our “Back to College” program, students will benefit from the wide variety of courses offered by partners along with a large selection of computing devices available on Flipkart that will cater to their diverse needs and support them in choosing the best learning materials available.”

In the past year, the demand for computing devices including laptops and tablets has grown multifold, as students switched to learning from home on the back of the pandemic. Interestingly, while school students prefer to purchase budget laptops, college students are looking for premium options to undertake complex tasks which require high processing power.

At the same time, online education offerings for classes 1 to 12 are projected to increase 6.3X by 2022 from the base of 2019," according to an industry report*. It added that the post K-12 market is expected to grow 3.7X to touch $1.8 billion.

Flipkart’s customer insights also corroborated a growing demand for online learning materials among the customers of computing devices. Earlier in April, Flipkart partnered with Codingal, Avishkaar, Prograd and Vendantu to offer online courses for school students and witnessed good traction among customers. 

To better cater to the students’ needs, Flipkart also introduced its Student Loyalty Program with wide-ranging benefits. Students will have to sign up on the electronics page on the Flipkart app using their student identification card and after verification, they will be eligible for 3 months of Flipkart Plus membership along with a host of other benefits on the purchase of electronics, gadgets and backpacks.

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Airtel, TCS to collaborate for Made in India 5G

 Bharti Airtel (“Airtel”), India’s premier communications solutions provider and Tata Group, today announced a strategic partnership for implementing 5G networks solutions for India. 

Tata Group has developed a ‘state of the art’ O-RAN based Radio & NSA/SA Core and has integrated a totally indigenous telecom stack, leveraging the Group capabilities and that of its partners. This will be available for commercial development starting Jan 2022. 

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) brings its global system integration expertise and helps align the end-to-end solution to both 3GPP and O-RAN standards, as the network and equipment are increasingly embedded into software.

Airtel will pilot and deploy this indigenous solution as part of its 5G rollout plans in India and start the pilot in January 2022, as per the guidelines formulated by the Government of India.

These ‘Made in India’ 5G product and solutions are aligned to global standards, and inter-operate with other products based on standard open interfaces and those defined by the O-RAN Alliance. The 5G solutions, once commercially proven in Airtel’s diverse and brownfield network will open export opportunities for India, which is now the second largest telecom market in the world.    

Gopal Vittal, MD & CEO (India and South Asia) Bharti Airtel said, “We are delighted to join forces with the Tata Group to make India a global hub for 5G and allied technologies. With its world-class technology ecosystem and talent pool, India is well positioned to build cutting edge solutions and applications for the world. This will also provide a massive boost to India becoming an innovation and manufacturing destination.” 

N. Ganapathy Subramaniam from the Tata Group/ TCS said, “As a Group, we are excited about the opportunity presented by 5G and adjacent possibilities. We are committed to building a world-class networking equipment and solutions business to address these opportunities in networking space. We are pleased to have Airtel as our customer in this initiative.”

Airtel is a Board member of the O-RAN Alliance and is committed to explore and implement O-RAN based networks in India. Earlier this year, Airtel became the first telecom company in India to demonstrate 5G over its LIVE network in city of Hyderabad. The Company has started 5G trials in major cities using spectrum allocated by the Department of Telecom.

The Tata group's telecom and media enterprises cater to the communication requirements of global business houses to SMEs, and from wholesale to home networks. Tata Consultancy Services Limited (TCS) is a member of the O-RAN Alliance.

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PicsArt offers exciting tools and music soundtracks for an unforgettable Father’s Day and World Music Day

 PicsArt, one of the world's leading creative platform and social editing app, is looking ahead to make your Father’s Day celebrations unique by offering a range of stickers and templates for the upcoming holiday. PicsArt is also releasing special AI music features to make celebrating both Father’s Day and World Music Day more colorful this year. 

For many of us, both of these special occasions have played a very important role in our bonds with our fathers. Until recently, picking out the perfect gift and sending a card with a sweet message was how we celebrated Father’s Day, but with our new reality that has hit us in recent times, we have learned that the best thing is to make sure our loved ones feel special while keeping them safe. For those staying apart from their families, the closest way of being connected is digitally. To make sure that you don’t miss out on showing gratitude to your father in the coolest way possible this Father’s Day, PicsArt has got you covered.

“Celebrating Father’s Day is a very new thing in India because in a traditional Indian family, children were much closer with their mothers than their fathers who were usually at work, but this has changed. In modern India, fathers have become more involved in their children’s lives. To celebrate this special bond and further strengthen it, PicsArt has come up with special Father’s Day templates and stickers for making customized social posts, images and videos to celebrate the contributions our fathers have made in our lives and our memories together. To make it all the more colorful and fun, PicsArt also has a new AI Music feature that can add unique soundtracks to your video content,’’ said Ravish Jain, Country Head of PicsArt.

With the new Father’s Day stickers and templates, PicsArt users can now design their own custom cards celebrating their fathers’ lives and recreate the beautiful moments they had together with creative tools and quotes. As Father’s Day and World Music Day fall one day apart this year, you can celebrate both occasions by creating a Father’s Day video with a great soundtrack to make him feel super special — an extra treat if your dad is a music lover.

For all the dads who love bollywood music, PicsArt has added an ‘Indian Music’ section in the app, where you can find some amazing melodies. PicsArt’s AI algorithm comes with more than 500,000 song samples, beats, and patterns to automatically generate an unlimited library of new tracks and millions of minutes of unique music. You can post your PicsArt-edited Father’s Day video with a cool music soundtrack and select from 20 moods/genres in addition to the Indian music available in the app per your fathers’ preference, to make a magical tribute he’s sure to love. The AI Music feature is currently available on iOS, and will soon be released on Android.

PicsArt is free to download for Apple, Android, and Windows and can also be accessed on the web. PicsArt Gold is available on a monthly or annual subscription basis for those wishing to enjoy premium editing. With PicsArt Gold, subscribers have access to millions of stickers, hundreds of fonts, frames and backgrounds, and an entire library of free-to-edit content and stock photography. 

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How I succeeded in getting vaccine slot on cowin portal

 India is undergoing a very difficult phase at this point of time, with Covid positve patients increasing exponentially, our resources are exhausted beyond imagination. One would think what went wrong in otherwise slowly but steadily picking up pace of normalcy. After year long WFH routine, offices were opening up, markets were all live and not to forget we planned mega events like elections, protests, religious congregations as if corona is a thing of past. In all this dull atmosphere, only ray of hope is the vaccination program rolled out by govt. of India. 

From 1 May onwards, authorities has opened registration for 18 years to 44 years candidates. After initially crashing down the servers due to mad rush for registrations, the portal is stable however users are still complaining of not getting slots. I have myself tried different combinations before coming to conclusion that there are no slots but its just a scam, as the centers would either show no availability or suddenly it will be completely booked. However I was wrong, wrong in concluding it to be scam and wrong in my approach for booking slots.

What should you know before going for slots booking.

As with anything else, people rush to get things done as soon as they can do, we are talking about a country where mobile phone flash sale records just don't matter now. Don't expect to open the app any time of your choice and find slots available near you. In my experience (Location Gurugram, Haryana), all free vaccine slots are opened a day before only, so don't bother yourself by searching for future dates you will find all unavailable. The slots are opened gradually for all the centers, for instance today first of the slot was available at around 11:30 AM and for the center when slots were opened last was 9:35 PM. The slots are booked within 5-10 mins of availability even the ones having 300 slots.

So, with above you can see even refreshing the screen all day is not going to help, you keep refreshing one center and some other center might get full without you knowing. I then looked up in the internet to find solutions and got to know that few techies are actually solving this very problem by making use of cowin API which are available for public to use. While most of the solutions work by searching on a portal and providing a consolidated status of vaccine centers by pincode or district, the one I found best was under45.in . 

How to use under45

Using this is very simple, just that you need to have a telegram account as pre-requisite. Once you open the url you will be directed to page as below to select your state and district.

Next step is to select your desired State and District combination where you are looking for registration.

Click on button with Telegram Icon and you should be able to join channel for your district, please not if your district is not in the list you can click on reply on this tweet link and request to add it.

Once you are added to the channel, you will get notification of each center whenever slots are opened in real time. Which will not only save you from searching all day, but also allow you to plan your centre wisely rather than booking just any center which may be far away from your place.

I was able to reschedule my appointment from Jhajjar (~ 30 Kms from my place) to within Gurugram in my proximity. Hope this will help you too to plan your vaccination. 

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Amazon Launches Fire TV Cube in India– The Fastest and Most Powerful Fire TV Device Ever With Hands-Free Alexa Voice Control

Amazon today announced the all-new Fire TV Cube, the hands-free, Alexa-enabled Fire TV experience, and the fastest and most powerful Fire TV ever at INR 12,999 in India. The all-new streaming media player features far-field voice control built into the device. This signature Fire TV device combines the capabilities of Amazon’s best-selling line of Fire TV streaming media players with the Alexa features. With Fire TV Cube, customers can voice control their entertainment system including compatible TV, Set Top Box, Smart Home devices, A/V receivers, etc.

“We are excited to introduce Fire TV Cube – our fastest and most powerful Fire TV device, developed after gathering a wealth of feedback about how customers use voice in the living room. We have combined the far field voice technology of Echo devices with the much loved Fire TV user experience so that customers can use the convenience of Alexa to control their entertainment. With its excellent picture quality and immersive sound experience, Fire TV Cube aims to deliver theater like experience at home.’’ said Parag Gupta, Head of Amazon Devices, India.

With Fire TV Cube, you can watch your favorites from Prime Video, Netflix, YouTube, Disney+ Hotstar, Zee5, SonyLiv, Voot, and others. Plus, tune to live TV channels with cable or set-top box providers. Fire TV Cube gives you access to tens of thousands of channels, apps, and Alexa skills. The vast Fire TV catalog combined with powerful voice control makes it easier than ever to enjoy TV. Simply say, “Alexa, open Netflix” or “Alexa, find music videos on YouTube” or “Alexa, watch Pokemon on Voot Kids”.

The Fastest, Most Powerful Fire TV Ever

Featuring an ultra-powerful hexa-core processor, the all-new Fire TV Cube delivers a fast, fluid experience, with instant access to Dolby Vision and 4K Ultra HD content at up to 60 frames per second. You will enjoy the brilliant color of Dolby Vision and HDR, and HDR 10+, as well as the audio clarity of Dolby Atmos on the all-new Fire TV Cube.

Easy Control of All Your Entertainment

Hands-free voice control means convenience. The all-new Fire TV Cube features cutting edge far-field voice recognition with eight microphones and advanced beamforming technology that combines signals from the individual microphones to suppress noise, reverberation, content currently playing, and even competing speech to make sure Alexa clearly hears your request when placed next to your TV. When combined with the powerful new processor, you can easily search and navigate content using just your voice, whether it’s through your cable or set-top boxes; streaming apps like Prime Video, YouTube, Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar, Zee5, SonyLiv and more. From across the room, just say, “Alexa, switch on the TV” or “Alexa, watch Mirzapur ” and Alexa will respond to your request.

Fire TV Cube uses multi-directional infrared technology, cloud-based protocols, and HDMI CEC, that when combined with Alexa, lets you control your compatible TV, sound bar, A/V receiver, cable, select set-top boxes, as well as other smart home devices. Fire TV Cube lets you dim the lights, check the weather, listen to the news, and more—even with the TV off with the built-in speaker.

Always Getting Smarter

The Alexa service is always getting smarter with new features, device control capabilities, and hands-free voice functionally currently supports enhanced in-app voice controls on Fire TV Cube, giving you more ways to use your voice while navigating through content.

Pricing and Availability

Fire TV Cube comes with an Ethernet adapter, Alexa Voice Remote, and IR extender cable and is available for customers in India at INR 12,999 starting today on Amazon.in and select Croma and Reliance outlets. To connect Fire TV Cube, customers can purchase an HDMI cable separately, which is available at no extra cost along with the device as an introductory offer. For more information visit www.amazon.in/firetvcube

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