Manipal Hospitals Becomes the First Hospital in Karnataka to Host the Prestigious MRCP PACES Examination

Manipal Hospitals Bangalore was the first hospital in Karnataka to host the prestigious MRCP (Practical Assessment of Clinical Examination Skills - PACES) exam in collaboration with Royal College of Physicians Federation, United Kingdom. Manipal Hospitals has been successfully conducting this examination since 2014 and is a permanent examination centre. Exams are held twice a year. In the present diet, the examination is being conducted on 14th, 15th & 16th February 2019.

The examination is conducted under strict vigilance as per the guidelines laid down by the Federation of the Royal College of Physicians, United Kingdom. There are 5 stations through which the candidates will have to go through where the candidates are assessed for clinical skills, history taking & communication. There are 10 examiners for each cycle (5 from UK & 5 from India). Manipal Hospital, Bangalore has 7 active examiners for MRCP PACES.

Manipal Hospitals is proud and privileged to be the center for MRCP PACES in India. This would not only benefit the students across Karnataka & India but also from people all over from the neighbouring countries. Each session has 45 students (15 students per day). In the current session, in addition to candidates from India, there are candidates from neighbouring countries including Bangladesh, Myanmar, Singapore, Sri Lanka, UAE, Iraq & Afghanistan.

Dr. Sudarshan Ballal, Chairman Manipal Hospitals – “Manipal hospital Bangalore is very proud to host the MRCP exams along with the Royal College of Physicians (UK) since 2014. This is a very prestigious exam that not only evaluates the students clinical expertise but also looks at patient safety issues and soft skills including communication which is needed for a doctor to be a complete consultant .It is also a great path for young doctors to get a valuable Post Graduate degree which is in severe short supply in our country .”

Quote from Dr. Michael Rudolf, Chair of UK Examiners - The MRCP exam is an important post graduate qualification which is well recognized around the world. The examination is held at many centres and the fact that it is held at Manipal hospital in Bengaluru makes it much easier for many candidates from India & South East Asia to take the examinations. The organization of the exam an Manipal Hospitals is superb and the criteria for passing are identical to all of the other centres within the United Kingdom. All of the staff at Manipal Hospital are to be congratulated on ensuring that this important examination can take place in Bengaluru.

Names of the UK examiners
·         Michael Rudolf
·         Parthipan Kantha Pillai
·         Eric Livingston
·         > Thikra    Al-Wattar
·         Ravindra Kumar Kedia

Three Day TTF Travel Show Kickks Off at Tripuravasini, Bengaluru

TTF, the biggest travel show network in India since the last 30 years is all set for city's travel trade and tourists to meet exhibitors from all over India and abroad, at Bengaluru's Palace Ground. Travel businesses across India and abroad will connect under one roof at TTF Bengaluru for a face to face interaction at Palace Grounds, Tripuravasini.

Exhibitors from 9 countries and 18 Indian states and union territories will be exhibiting in the TTF this year.

Thousands of trade buyers and travellers are expected to visit the show.

The three-day event is supported by Ministry of Tourism, State Tourism Boards, National Tourist Organisations, private suppliers as well as trade associations. Nepal has come onboard as the Partner Country while Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh are exhibiting as Partner States at TTF Bengaluru, besides the colourful presence of Host State, Karnataka.

The domestic and international sellers exhibit enthusiastically at TTF as the most effective platform for marketing and promotion of travel and tourism. The State Tourism Boards with largest participation are Andaman & Nicobar, Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh and Punjab.

Other Indian states and union territories such as Delhi, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal are being represented by travel suppliers at the show.

The National Tourist Organisations of India and Nepal are participating at TTF Bengaluru while other countries such as Bhutan, Greece, Malaysia, Singapore, Switzerland, Thailand and United Kingdom are being represented by Destination Management Companies (DMCs), travel operators and hotel brands.

Swiss Tours / Tour Fox, Raviz Hotel, Yeti Airlines, Nafex Bureau Private Limited, Trip to Temples, Club 69 Estrela Do Mar Beach Resort, Morickap Resort, Best Western Maryland/Radisson Chandigarh, Big Breaks, Spiceland Holidays & Entertainments, Quality Holidays and Cars, Journey To Ladakh, Neem Holidays, Bikat Adventures, World Tours and several other notable participants are present at TTF Bengaluru.

MakeMyTrip has one of the largest pavilions at the TTF.

On the first day of the event, the winners of India's Top 100 Travel Producers Award 2019 from Bengaluru will be felicitated.

Day 1 of the show will have reserved entry for travel trade visitors from 11 AM till 2 PM. From 16th, TTF Bengaluru will open for all.

Entry to the show is free and visitors get a chance to win free gifts and prizes.

TTF Bengaluru is supported by Incredible India, Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), Outbound Tour Operators Association of India (OTOAI), Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI), South India Global Tour Operators Association (SIGTOA), The Event and Entertainment Management Association (EEMA), Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India (ADTOI), Indian Association of Tour Operators’ (IATO), IATA Agents Association of India (IAAI), SKAL International and Enterprising Travel Agents Association (ETAA). Travel News Digest is the Official Publication of the event.

TTF Bengaluru was preceded by the summer editions of Ahmedabad and Chennai, earlier this month. Kolkata will be the next stop.

Tablez India Opens the First Build-A-Bear store in India at Phoenix Marketcity, Whitefield

For more than 21 years, U.S. based personalized experiential toy retail brand Build-A-Bear has been sharing hearts and bear hugs globally, and today, after a long wait, Tablez - the retail arm of LuLu Group International, has launched the first Build-A-Bear store in India, at Toys”R”Us, Phoenix Marketcity in Bengaluru.

Build-A-Bear is a global customized stuffed-animal retail entertainment brand that aims to reach as many as 9 million households in the top 15 cities in India by 2025. Besides standalone stores, shop-in-shop formats of Build-A-Bear would be launched within Toys“R”Us.

On this special occasion, Adeeb Ahamed, MD, Tablez said: “The Build-A-Bear concept is a one-of-a-kind retail experience, and we are thrilled to open the first store in Bengaluru. Build-A-Bear is synonymous with creativity and novelty for children. I am sure that each child that enters our store will cherish their experience and leave with an indelible memory.

“From standalone stores to shop-in-shop formats, Build-A-Bear is ready to reach out to families and kids in India and help loved ones create memories and spend more time together. We plan to open 20 standalone stores of Build-A-Bear across key cities in India over the next 10 years, along with shop-in-shop formats across all our Toys”R”Us stores as well.”
Dorrie Krueger, Build-A-Bear Workshop Chief Strategy Officer, said, “Together with Tablez India, we are excited to open the first Build-A-Bear store in India and continue to expand into this important global market. We look forward to introducing the Build-A-Bear brand and sharing the joy of making a new furry friend with millions of families.”

Build-A-Bear is a global brand that kids love and parents trust for fantastic family experiences. The ‘Choose Me’ wall at every Build-A-Bear store is where the empowerment journey begins as each guest chooses an unstuffed animal to bring to life. Accessories give customers the freedom to customize their creation. The heart ceremony is where one can add special wishes to their friend. During the stuffing process, a heart is placed in the bear along with special wishes, and the guest promises to care for their new furry friend once they are given the birth certificate. This signature ceremony brings each stuffed animal to life in a personal way, further ensuring a greater attachment.

Established in 1997, Build-A-Bear has helped millions find their own meaning in a new furry friend. The brand has nearly 500 stores worldwide and more than 180 million furry friends have been made globally in its 21-year history. Build-A-Bear helps guests mark special occasions, starts friendships, and inspires people to make their own adventures. At Build-A-Bear, one is empowered to feel that anything is possible.

Further, a Build-A-Bear shop-in-shop format will follow in Vega City Mall, Bengaluru; City Centre Mall, Mangalore and Phoenix Marketcity, Pune. Build-A-Bear plans to expand to as many as 65 shop-in-shop format stores and 20 standalone stores in India over the next 10 years. 

Hina Jaiswal Commissioned as IAF's First Woman Flight Engineer

Flight Lieutenant Hina Jaiswal has created history by becoming the first Indian woman flight engineer. She successfully completed the Flight Engineers’ course at 112 Helicopter Unit attached to the Air Force Station, Yelahanka near Bangalore.

Commissioned on January 5, 2015, in the engineering branch of the IAF, she has served as chief of firing team and battery commander in a frontline Surface to Air Missile squadron, before being selected for the Flight Engineers’ course.

Hina earned her Flight Engineer’s wing on Friday. During the course of the last six months of gruelling training, she displayed unflinching commitment, dedication and perseverance, said an official statement from the Defence Ministry.

Flt Lt Hina Jaiswal hails from Chandigarh and has completed her Bachelor of Engineering degree from Panjab University. The only daughter of D K Jaiswal and Anita Jaiswal, Hina dubbed her achievement a “dream come true”. Since childhood, she had aspired to don the soldier’s uniform and take to the skies as an aviator. The realisation of that dream took its root from the alma mater of Heli-lift.

As a flight engineer, Hina would subsequently be posted to operational helicopter units of the IAF. While in the unit, she would be routinely called upon to operate in demanding and stressful conditions, right from the icy heights of the Siachen Glacier to the seas of the Andamans.

In the last few decades, the Indian defence forces have taken very long strides to become more gender inclusive. Since 1993, the IAF has commissioned women in the officer cadre. They have also been inducted as pilots in various streams of the IAF.

Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board Entices Tourism Sector and South Indian Travelers at Travel & Trade Fair (TTF), Bengaluru

Being one of the forerunners among the economically rising states of incredible India, Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board has participated  in TTF (Travel & Tourism Fair) held at Palace Grounds, Bengaluru from Madhya Pradesh is a state that reflects the true cultural heritage of Incredible India. Through the amalgamation of various communities and castes, the folklore and historical monuments makes Madhya Pradesh one of the most sought after tourist destination.

TTF Travel & Tourism Fair held in Bangalore is India's leading exhibition for the travel and tourism industry. It provides an annual opportunity for organizations from India and abroad to showcase their products and services. The trade fair was visited by India’s leading tour-operators, travel agents and hoteliers, airlines and media professionals from different corners of the country. These Buyers and Media representatives visited Madhya Pradesh Tourism stall also and exchanged their views and opinions on Madhya Pradesh with the officials at the stall.

As quoted by the officials of Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board, “Madhya Pradesh is such an extremely diverse state serving plethora of beautiful historic sites to exotic places. It is not only home to some of the unique wildlife in the country but warm-hearted people. It has become a holiday spot for celebrities, businesses, friends, individuals and families.With the rich history and commendable efforts of Archeology Department today Madhya Pradesh has become a preferred destination for solo and family travelers who want to move away from the hustle bustle of city’s abundance. Participating in TTF 2019 has provided MP tourism with an opportunity to display its magnificence as well as educate consumers on the latest offerings and world class tourism facilities provided by the state. ”

From being the state with the largest forest area to wildlife hotspots with 10 National parks & 25 Wildlife sanctuaries, 3 UNESCO World Heritage Sites; Madhya Pradesh has a plethora of nature, culture, heritage and activities available for every age group of tourist. Apart from the diversity, the annual cultural Events including the Khajuraho Dance festival, MalwaUtsav, Tansen Festival, Allauddin Music fest are simply the ideal trifect a showcasing best of Indian traditions. Besides these, “Madhya Pradesh Travel Mart (MPTM)” and “Jal Mahotsav” are annual events which are very popular amongst the trade people and tourists from various regions in the country

In order to create awareness among the native population and tourists regarding cultural and natural heritage in the state, the “Heritage run” activity is being organized at various tourist destination. Next runs are at 17th February on Pachmarhi, 24th February on Khajuraho, Gwalior on 10th March and Pench on 17th March and so on. Also, next international event in Madhya Pradesh is Khajuraho Dance festival from 20th to 26th February. The forthcoming major exhibitions in which the Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board will be participating to carry on with trade networking are IITE in Bhubaneshwar from 15th to 17th MarchandGITB in Jaipur from 28th – 30th April, 2019.

CH2M (Jacobs) Pioneers the Use of a Digital Twin on the Thames Estuary Flood Management 2100 Project

The Thames Estuary 2100 is a comprehensive 10-year action plan by the United Kingdom’s Environment Agency to manage flood risk along the Tidal Thames for the next 100 years. Climate change-induced increases in sea level and river flows are estimated to put 1.25 million people and GBP 200 billion worth of property at risk. The Environment Agency plans to refurbish and replace tidal flood defenses in London and the Thames Estuary, including the Thames Barrier and 350 kilometers of walls, embankments, and other flood defense assets. The project team, led by CH2M (now Jacobs), successfully established a digital twin of the entire Tidal Thames flood defense infrastructure. With the digital twin, the project team is effectively focusing on flood risk reduction for London and the outer estuary, protecting lives, critical infrastructure, and private property.

The project team initially faced the challenge of managing a large dataset of information, primarily in the form of physical drawings and documents developed through decades of work dating back to the 1950s. Understanding the development of the flood defense asset through the as-designed, as-built, and as-maintained records is critical to understanding any subsequent movement or deterioration of the asset. The team selected ProjectWise as the basis for its connected data environment (CDE) and collated over 10,000 documents relating to 4,000 assets to establish the digital DNA of the flood defense infrastructure. The CH2M team augmented the digitized historical records with information on the current condition of assets gathered through field assessments executed with the cooperation of private landowners along the river.

CH2M configured its CDE to align with the BS 1192 national standard and to manage data of a higher classification with robust security protocols. Now, employees in over 30 office locations, and over 10 organizations across Europe are connected through the CDE and can access information with minimal transmission delays by using the caching and delta file transfer capabilities of ProjectWise. With ProjectWise’s spatially enabled search interface, users graphically select a region of interest and quickly discover all relevant drawings, pictures, and documents for assets in that area. The team is utilizing ProjectWise Deliverables Management to control the transmission of purchase orders and receipt of data. This data is synchronized to ProjectWise and accessible by external suppliers via a web portal. ProjectWise virtually connects offices to accurate and current information and connects office and field staff during inspection and construction.

CH2M estimates that the digital twin enabled by ProjectWise has already saved the project approximately 500 hours, at a cost savings of approximately GBP 25,000. They estimate that the effort to retrieve current and historical data was reduced by 25 percent. With ProjectWise, the team can quickly search, collate, and send information. CH2M is effectively leveraging the digital DNA of their project to achieve the Environment Agency’s long-term vision of managing flood risk for the Tidal Thames over the next 100 years.

Hinesh Mistry, global technology leader at CH2M, said, “Bentley’s ProjectWise is the only application to deliver seamless integration of multiple BIM authoring tools, offering a truly global ability to collaborate in a security-enhanced environment across multiple disciplines and geographies. The management of over 20,000 documents in 200-plus projects and multiple organizations with [BIM Level 3-compliant interoperability] would not be possible without ProjectWise.The application enables true lifecycle asset management to deliver world-class management in the reduction of flood risk for the Thames Estuary and GBP 200 billion of assets.”

Zendesk Reinforces Commitment to Women in Leadership with 3 Management Hires

Zendesk, Inc. has announced the appointment of three new executives to its growing leadership team. Joining the company are Elisabeth Zornes, former general manager of global support for Microsoft Office, as Zendesk’s first chief customer officer; former Adobe executive Colleen Berube as chief information officer; and former Salesforce executive Shawna Wolverton as senior vice president, product management.

“Never have we seen customer expectations or technology changing as rapidly as it is today,"    said Mikkel Svane, Zendesk founder and CEO. "We are thrilled to be adding these proven enterprise leaders to Zendesk so we can help more companies around the world transform their customer experiences.”

Zornes will represent the collective voice of Zendesk’s 125,000 paid customer accounts in the role, and lead the teams responsible for helping customers onboard and maximize the benefits of the company’s growing product portfolio. She brings 20 years of experience as a leader in customer support, operations and services, most recently leading global customer support for Microsoft Office consumers, enterprise customers, and partners.

Colleen Berube joins as chief information officer, having formerly served as executive vice president and chief technology officer of Fisher Investments and executive in residence at PricewaterhouseCoopers. She brings more than two decades of leadership experience from pre-IPO to the Fortune 100 companies.

Wolverton comes to Zendesk with more than 15 years experience in product management and leadership. Most recently, she was the chief product officer at Planet, and previously was senior vice president for product management at Salesforce, where she oversaw all platform development.

The new appointments are part of the company’s recent leadership expansion aimed at supporting its global growth and long-term goal of becoming a multibillion-dollar revenue company.

Wacom Unveils 4K Cintiq Pro 24 and 4K Cintiq Pro 32 Priced at Rs 2,02 Lakh to Rs 2,75 Lakh in India

Working towards its commitment to inspire and equip people to make the world a more creative place, Wacom has unveiled its 4K Cintiq Pro 24 & 4K Cintiq Pro 32 in the Indian market. Designed diligently to aid creative professionals and set new standards in film and 3D animation, in industry design, digital art, game development and a broad range of human communication and expression, the 4K Cintiq Pro 24 and 32 will offer new high performance large-sized display built for cutting-edge creative and design applications including augmented and virtual reality.

Besides the large screen to create and design, the Cintiq Pro 32 & Cintiq Pro 24 help provide a true-to-life visual experience with the brilliant 4K display and up to 98% and 99% RGB color accuracy respectively.

Commenting on the launch, Rajiv Malik, Senior Director, Wacom India said, “Wacom is a company that truly believes in assisting creative experiences. Our products are the result of vast research and understanding of what the users want. Professional artists and designers today have an increased appetite for various technologies like augmented and virtual reality or 3D. They also want customizable controls for getting the work done faster. We understand the different needs when it comes to creativity and this is why we are excited to offer a digital canvas which provides more space and more options for those who create.”

Performance that gives you the most natural creative experience ever

Users will also experience higher level of productivity with these devices given setting like time saving onscreen or the multi touch gestures. The devices are designed to cater to connectivity and security. The Cintiq Pro 24 and the Cintiq Pro 32 have 4 X USB3 ports, and 1 X USB-C port. Along with that the devices also have an HDMI2.0

USB3 ports, and 1 X USB-C port. Along with that the devices also have an HDMI2.0 port, a DisplayPort and 2 X USB-A ports, of which, one is reserved for the ExpressKey remote. In order to assist creativity,the Cintiq Pro 24 & 32can be optionally converted to an “All-in-One” PC with Cintiq Pro Engine.

Convenience at a click with Express Key Remote

The Cintiq Pro 24 and the Cintiq Pro 32 come with an ExpressKey Remote for utmost efficiency and comfort. A set of 17 customizable buttons and Touch Ring allow for instant one-touch access to timesaving shortcuts in all your favorite creative applications. Users can place the ExpressKey Remote anywhere it’s most convenient while drawing – on screen, in your hand or beside your keyboard. User can also connect up to five ExpressKey Remotes at one time, one for each of your creative software applications, to optimize their workflow.

Precision performance at your fingertips with Wacom Pro Pen 2

Designed to provide a more comfortable and natural pen on screen experience, Wacom Pro Pen 2 features 8192 levels of pressure sensitivity, tilt-response and virtually lag-free tracking. A protective case with three nibs and a nib removal hole is included. For a freer movement, the pen offers more natural support, requires no batteries or charging and has reduced parallax. With the help of new pressure and tilt sensitivity of the Pro Pen 2 and the textured screen, the designers are sure to get a realistic artistic control and feel.

The 4K Cintiq Pro 24 series will be available in two options –Pen only priced at Rs 202,099, and Pen and Touch priced at Rs 223,399. The Cintiq Pro 32 model is available with Pen and Touch feature, priced at Rs 275,999.

Over 1 Crore Youth Join Skill India’s ‘Fark Dikh Raha Hai’ Campaign

With the launch of second edition of the popular ‘Fark Dikh Raha Hai’ media campaign today, Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship aims to mobilise youth and empower them with employable skills. Since it’s inception in July 2015, Skill India has trained more than 1 crore youth every year through various programs under Government of India.

The campaign was first launched in August last year and was well received by potential candidates and influencers across the country. It further contributed to the increase in awareness of Skill India from 35% pre-campaign to 56% post campaign.

Popular Punjabi singer and industry veteran Daler Mehndi also sang the new anthem for Skill India mission. Titled ‘Hunar Nikharraha Hai, Fark Dikh Raha Hai’, the anthem has been written by notable Indian Lyricist, Screenwriter and Poet, Prasoon Joshi. Focusing on celebrating the success of candidates trained under Skill India mission, the campaign aims to inspire young people to earn a better livelihood through skill training. 

The campaign, a series of ad films, was commissioned by National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) through leading advertising agency McCann. Since its launch in July 2015, the Skill India Mission under the aegis of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has touched many people’s lives through its initiatives such as Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) and upgrading and upscaling of Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs).

In an endeavour to make vocational training accessible to the youth, Skill India has opened 500+ multi-skill Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendra (PMKKs) covering 490+ district across India. The number of ITIs have also been increased from 10,000 earlier to 15,000 in the last five years.  To facilitate placement opportunities for trained candidates, Skill India also organized 30+ Rojgar Melas across the country, where more than 1500 employers have shortlisted 60,000+ candidates across different job roles. In the last five years, comprehensive amendments to the Apprenticeship Act 1961 have been made and the number of establishments hiring apprentices has increased from 11,000 to 75,000 today.

Speaking about the campaign’s success, Shri Rajesh Agarwal, Joint Secretary & CVO, MSDE, said, “Skill India’ has been making steady progress towards transforming India as the ‘human resource capital’ of the world and in the past four years since its inception, various skill development initiatives and policy-driven accelerators have helped Indian youth develop job-relevant skills. Through this second edition of Fark Dikh Raha Hai campaign we aim to educate the youth about new age market relevant skills and motivate them to acquire a skill of their choice resulting in significant contribution towards the building of New India.”

Commenting on the campaign, Manish Kumar, MD & CEO, NSDC, said, “NSDC has collaborated with MSDE and multiple stakeholders to ensure that India’s youth are empowered with right skills; which could help them earn a better livelihood. The ‘Fark Dikh Raha Hai’ campaign 2.0 aims to showcase the achievement that Skill India has achieved over the years, more than one crore youth join the Skill India Mission every year to transform their lives. We are confident after the launch of our 1st campaign which received such an overwhelming response and now with Fark Dikh Raha Hai 2.0 we are hoping to raise awareness and aspirational value of vocational training in India even further.”

Prasoon Joshi, Chairman McCann Worldgroup, Asia Pacific and CEO & CCO McCann Worldgroup, India, called the campaign an important marker of the newfound belief in young India. “This campaign clearly communicates the changing attitude towards skill development in India and with the latest addition of the Skill India Anthem we are sure to extend our reach even further and motivate the young India to be a part of this noble mission” he said. “We are delighted to collaborate with MSDE and NSDC yet again and be a part of this noble mission to motivate the youth of the country and make them believe in their talent. The campaign portrays how by availing the benefits of various schemes under the Skill India program, they can hone their talent for a brighter future.” 

HP Reinvents the PC with New Premium Spectre Series in India

HP has unveiled the new premium Spectre range that sets the bold standard for premium PC innovation. With this range comprising the HP Spectre Folio and HP Spectre x360, HP has reinvented every aspect of the PC from the material used to build it, to the experiences it can deliver. The result is the transformative form factor designed for true mobility and equipped to easily adapt to everyday use cases.       

There is a growing desire for personal computing devices that enable new experiences and are built for busy, on-the-go lifestyles. This is especially true for customers looking to purchase a premium device, who spend a significant amount of time using their laptop outside of the home.

“HP continues to create the world’s most exciting devices that are leading the PCs into a new era of innovation. By listening to the needs of our customers and leveraging our design and engineering capabilities, HP is setting new benchmarks for the industry,” said Sumeer Chandra, Managing Director, HP Inc. India.

“HP has always believed in insights-based innovation that allows us to deliver the PC experiences that users want. The new HP Spectre series has made a breakthrough in design, versatility and connectivity. The HP Spectre Folio and Spectre x360 achieve the perfect balance of beautiful design, cutting edge engineering and outstanding performance,” said Vickram Bedi, Senior Director, Personal Systems, HP Inc. India.       

HP Spectre Folio: A stunning device that sets the standard for design and craftmanship         

The HP Spectre Folio provides a PC experience unlike any other. As the world’s first leather convertible PC, HP has embraced the art of “manucrafturing”, where it combines meticulously designed hardware with handcrafted leather and accented stitching.

The Spectre Folio builds on the success of traditional laptops, 2-in-1 devices and convertibles, which are designed primarily for specific productivity tasks or scenarios. The result is unprecedented versatility in a PC that seamlessly converts between three distinct positions. To achieve a thin and light design in this radically new form factor, the Spectre Folio incorporates one of the smallest motherboards in the industry, capitalizing on 8th Gen Intel Core i7 processors[i]. An innovative fanless thermal design leverages the unique qualities of leather to create an experience that feels both cool and comfortable in the lap.

Other features include up to 16 GB of memory, up to 512 GB of SSD storage[ii], and a low-power, 1W 400-nits FHD for ideal viewing in any lighting condition. HP has worked closely with the renowned global audio and lifestyle brand Bang & Olufsen to expertly tune the four front facing speakers for a superb audio experience in any of the device positions. To create a more immersive experience, HP Spectre Folio comes with touchscreen.         

HP Spectre x360: The intersection of bold design and performance

The HP Spectre x360 is designed for an on-the-go lifestyle, while offering superior design, leading security and enhanced performance. The model features a cut design that can only be achieved by CNC machining. The attention to craftmanship and detail is visible in the functional design, which enables four distinct positions: Laptop, Tent, Reverse and Tablet.

Powered with the latest quad-core 8th generation Intel Core processors, the HP Spectre x360 includes long-lasting battery life. The angled USB-C port provides better cable management, and the dual chamfer design for easier lid lift from three sides. The laptop comes in both FHD 4K (UHD) display options. The unique design of the speaker pattern is also purposeful, with each hole micro-drilled for better acoustic transparency to deliver an amazing audio experience by Bang & Olufsen.

The device also comes with a privacy camera kill switch which allows the user to electrically turn off the webcam when not in use. The HP Spectre x360 is also equipped with optional HP Sure View, an integrated privacy screen to help users avoid prying eyes in public areas.           

Pricing and Availability

·         HP Spectre Folio is available now in Cognac Brown at a price of INR 1,99,990

·         HP Spectre x360 is available now in Dark Ash Grey at a starting price of INR 1,29,990; and in Poseidon Blue at a starting price of INR 1,39,990.

Styched.in Launches the Save Indian Government School Merchandise

Styched.in, a fast fashion ecommerce portal, launched the Save Government School Movement merchandise, with T-Shirts advocating the movement.

Production-on-demand based youth fashion startup, Styched, launches 'Save Government School Movement' merchandise. The #SaveGovtSchools movement is a statewide campaign in Karnataka that kick-started in July, demanding a comprehensive state education policy to ensure free and quality education for all. It aims to achieve this across all the state-run government schools. The campaign is headed by Anil Shetty, President of the Nav Bharat Democratic Party.

Styched.in has been given the mandate of selling the merchandise online and using the proceeds from the T-Shirt sale towards helping the campaign and the Government Schools provide better education to all children. Popular film actress Pranitha Subhash will be launching this T-Shirt line at a formal event during the first week of February.

Speaking about this movement, Saswata, one of the angel investors at Styched said, "We are hopeful that these T-Shirts will help spread word of this extremely important movement in Karnataka. The future of the country heavily depends on quality education and infrastructure provided at schools, and this campaign takes one major step towards providing better facility to all Government run schools. We are all the more excited since Styched as a brand believes in the Make in India motto and there was a clear synergy between the two."

The website https://www.styched.in, promoted by Sensedynamic Fashions, is a fast fashion brand targeting the youth. Founded by health enthusiast Sony Joseph, the company is based out of Bangalore and is a pure play ecommerce brand. Styched is funded by a group of friends and alumni of IIT Kharagpur, namely, Durga Dash, who heads seller marketing at Amazon India, Saswata Banerjee, who is a tech entrepreneur and ex-Justdial, and Soumajit Bhowmik, who is the ex-Head of Marketing at Jabong and the current Director of Ecommerce at Capillary Technologies. The brand aims to become the go-to brand for the youth and millennials for fast fashion - high quality apparel at lowest prices. The company is gearing up for some major alliances across various sports formats and movies to be the official fan tee provider in India.

"Fashion ecommerce penetration in India is still quite less and there is significant market left open for new brands, especially low-cost youth brands. With Styched, we aim to capture a considerable market share for this vertical in the next 2 years" said Soumajit who was recently awarded as the most influential ecommerce professional in the country.

ACT Fibernet Unveils New Brand Identity to Enrich its Customer Value Proposition

ACT Fibernet, India’s largest fiber broadband ISP (Internet Service Provider), today launched its new brand identity with the unveiling of the logo and tagline ‘Feel the Advantage’. The rebranding initiative is a strategic component of ACT Fibernet to becoming the most admired in-home entertainment and interactive internet services provider in India.

The new brand identity represents ACT Fibernet’s differentiated approach towards offering innovative customer centric solutions that will enhance user experience and provide maximum value.

In 2019, ACT Fibernet will expand its products, service offerings and partnerships across various categories, namely – ACT Advantage Entertainment, ACT Advantage Gaming, ACT Advantage Speed, ACT Advantage Service, ACT Advantage Smart Cities, and ACT Advantage community.

As part of the activity, ACT Fibernet will partner with content provider like ZEE 5 and Sony Liv amongst others to strengthen its content offerings. Being the preferred choice of every gaming enthusiast, ACT Fibernet is working with popular gaming cafes, gaming OEMs and gaming publishers to provide the highest quality gaming experience to users.

Within the next six months, ACT Fibernet plans to launch its broadband services in multiple cities across North & West India, thereby expanding its footprint in the country.  The company will also be launching a 24*7 call center and a unified call center number to address customers queries in real time.

In support to the government’s mission towards building a digital India and smart cities mission, ACT Fibernet aims to complete 5000+ wifi hotspots across Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Vishakhapatnam and others. Further, ACT Fibernet is jointly working with the state government of Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru to enable free wi-fi connectivity in public libraries and schools.

Speaking on the launch Bala Malladi, CEO, Atria Convergence Technologies Ltd. said, “We have always believed in providing our customers the best solutions through our products and services. Today, consumer needs and usage behavior is continuously evolving. Newer technologies are constantly being adopted and becoming mass-scale by the day, be it streaming or gaming or smart homes. It is therefore our responsibility to work in conjunction with the rapidly evolving customer’s expectations and find feasible ways to serve them. We strongly believe that our new brand identity reflects this value and commitment we have towards our customers”

“Moving forward, we will be launching new products and services that our consumer’s desire. We are confident that with our pioneering fibernet connection, hyper fast speeds, new offerings and industry's best customer service in place, we will successfully transform our customer’s experience enabling them to do and accomplish more. With ACT you can Feel the Advantage” he added.

The new logo represents the brands ethos– Sharp, futuristic, innovative, exciting, creative and modern.  The tagline ‘’Feel the Advantage” is simple but powerful expression of the brand’s mission, values and commitment.

Tata Motors and Tata Motors Finance Group Enter into a Strategic Tie-Up with Kool-ex Cold Chain

In a first of its kind transaction, Tata Motors along with Tata Motors Finance Group entered into strategic tie-up with Kool-ex Cold Chain Limited – a leading Pharma Cold Chain Logistics Service Provider to supply 200 Fully Built Reefer Trucks manufactured by Tata Motors.

Developing a unique one stop solution for Kool-ex Cold Chain Ltd, this tie up includes manufacturing of the specially built pharma compliant reefer trucks which will be covered under the Tata Sampoorna Seva umbrella of value added services and a complete funding plan by TMF Group with a mixture of Equity and Debt, making the entire transaction a single window structure. The reefer units used for this deal will be built on the popular Tata LPT 1613 MCV trucks and the Tata LPT 2518 Multi axle truck.

According to Mr. Shyam Mani - MD, Tata Motors Finance Group – “We are elated to be a part of this one of a kind tie up to provide complete financing solutions to Kool-ex Cold Chain Limited. As a part of this tie up, we will not only be providing vehicle financing through Tata Motors Finance Limited (TMFL) but will also provide mezzanine equity financing to the company through Tata Motors Finance Solutions Limited (TMFSL), making this a structured financing deal. We are confident that this complete package will deliver the best for all companies who are a part the deal and will lay a strong foundation for a continued association ahead.” 

On this occasion, Mr. R T Wasan, Head, Marketing & Sales, CVBU, Tata Motors said, “Tata Motors as the leading CV player in the Industry continues to work closely with its customers and their clients to develop total solutions for their transportation and logistics requirements. With a sectoral approach, Tata Motors has worked with Kool-Ex to co-develop the fully built reefer unit to meet the sophisticated logistics requirements of the Pharma Industry which will meet the rapidly growing needs of the Pharma Industry due to the anticipated changes in the regulations related to transportation and storage”

Kool-Ex which has over 21 years of experience in this segment is all set to become one of the largest Pharma Cold Chain Logistics Service Provider in the country, with this partnership. Kool-ex will also shortly enter the Cold Chain warehousing segment, with its first commercial project likely to come up near Pune along with foray into last mile deliveries, thereby making it a completely integrated 3PL Cold Chain Logistics Service Provider

Speaking on the tie-up, Mr. Rahul Agarwal, Director, Kool-ex Cold Chain Limited said, “Tata Motors has been an integral part of Kool-ex story since the beginning of our journey and this fresh order is a testimonial to their smart, customer-friendly and innovative offerings. We are methodically expanding our product portfolios and reinforcing our expertise in various segments, meeting the growing customer requirements. We believe specialized needs of the burgeoning e-commerce and cold chain industry will spawn a range of opportunities for niche organised logistics players in near future.”

Kool-ex has been one of the loyal customers of Tata Motors, with over 15 years of association. Through its single window seamless approach, Tata Motors was able to get Kool-ex as a key customer and offer structured schemes for financing the expansion.

Land Rover's 'Never Stop Discovering’ Campaign Aims to Raise Awareness on Wildlife Conservation

Land Rover in India has launched its latest digital and social media campaign, ‘Never Stop Discovering’ to create conversations around India’s wildlife and thus recognizing the stupendous work being done to protect our diverse wildlife by some of the most passionate and knowledgeable minds in India. This follows the very successful ‘Discovery With A Purpose’ journey, undertaken in February 2018 in Land Rover Discovery vehicles that covered   1 200 km across various forests and terrains of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, to create awareness and conversations around India’s endangered wildlife. 

Rohit Suri, President & Managing Director, Jaguar Land Rover India Ltd (JLRIL), said:
“Our Discovery family, with class leading versatility and capability, is a great enabler for the curious minds, for those who want to get out there and explore more, and share these explorations and new experiences with their family and friends. Through the 'Never Stop Discovering' campaign, we want to reach out and connect with all such people and inspire them with purposeful stories.”

The ‘Never Stop Discovering’ campaign focusses on stimulating stories of journeys in Land Rover Discovery Sport to Nagarhole National Park to showcase initiatives in the field of eco-tourism, which is providing impetus to wildlife conservation in India. The films feature big cat specialist, wildlife photographer and cinematographer Shaaz Jung for the Indian Leopard and the very elusive Black Panther, Aly Rashid for the Sloth Bear in Satpura National Park and Harshawardhan and Poonam Dhanwatey for the Bengal Tiger in and around the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve.

Speaking on the release of the first film, Shaaz Jung, said: “Life is a safari and utilising eco-tourism as an integral tool for conservation has always been my priority. We created The Bison and BCRTI (Buffer Conflict Resolution Trust of India) to address the conflicts in our buffer regions whilst also providing vocational training and creating awareness. Helping people understand the importance of our flora and fauna is the key to saving our country and retaining India’s culture and it’s great that Land Rover is bringing this to the fore through ‘Never Stop Discovering’

The first story under the campaign may be viewed at https://bit.ly/2GlUlSG with others to follow in March and April 2019. 

Honor Sets Up 100+ AI Consumer Experience Studios Across India

Honor, the leading smartphone e-brand under the Huawei Group, recently announced the Honor 10 Lite in India, and starting today the most stylish AI smartphone will be available in all leading offline stores across India. The AI smartphone will be available in 6GB + 64GB variant at INR 17,999 in Sapphire Blue and Sky Blue colors.

To further enhance the customer experience, Honor has also set up an amazing AI studio in 100+ stores across 12 different cities where users can get a hands-on experience of the 24 MP AI Selfie feature at the customized Selfie Studio. Honor aims to spread across leading 4000+ stores.

“We’re pleased to see that our latest smartphone the Honor 10 Lite has seen an overwhelming response via the online sales efforts so far; and we’re excited to roll-out the smartphone offline as well, across all major cities in India. We welcome the youth of the country to experience the powerful AI camera at their nearest Honor store, where we’ve for the first time set up customized AI studios across the country. We hope to continue the momentum in the future sales for the device,” Suhail Tariq, CMO Huawei Consumer Business Group.

Honor 10 Lite is also available on Flipkart with No cost EMI and exchange offer T&C*.

Honor 10 Lite specifications:

The Honor 10 Lite comes with an impressive 24MP AI selfie camera, AI scene detection technology on both rear and front cameras, latest Kirin 710 processor with 12nm process technology, Dewdrop Display, first Honor phone with Intelligent EMUI 9.0 on top of Android 9 (Pie) out of the box and 3,400 mAh battery.

Honor 10 Lite features 15.77cm (6.21”) Dewdrop display, 91% screen-to-body ratio with 19:5:9 aspect ratio, has support for GPU Turbo 2.0 and runs Android 9.0 (Pie) with EMUI 9.0 on top.

The AI Selfie camera can recognize eight different scenes (Sky, Beach, Plant, Flower, Stage, Night, Room and Snow) and adjust camera settings to click best ever selfies. The front camera also features AI based facial recognition and light fusion technology, ensuring you always look your best in every scenario and light condition.

Dual Rear AI Camera is capable of detecting 22 different scenes to give best ever photographs in every scenario and condition. Low light photography is enhanced by its big f1.8 aperture and AIS mode which enables it to capture beautiful and detailed shots even in low light conditions.

Special Features:

*  AI Shopping: Shop what you see with Intelligent AI shopping experience on various shopping e-commerce platforms in India.

*  Calorie Detection : Detect calories in food items just by looking them through camera

*  AI Enhanced calls: AI noise reduction accurately recognizes noise and suppresses it

*  Wi-Fi Bridge: Now you can share any Wi-Fi network as hotspot and connect maximum 4 devices

*  Paytm Pay: One click pay option for Paytm users

*  App Assistant: Enjoy uninterrupted gaming experience

*  Dual VoLTE: You can access internet from 1 sim, while you are having a phone call with the other sim

*  AI Smart Face Unlock: Lock Screen with Privacy Protection - By face recognition, only the phone owner can see more details

*  Smart Fingerprint: Apart from unlocking phone, you can use it from taking photos & videos, answer call, stop alarm, show notification panel & browse photos

*  Smart Triple Bluetooth Connection: Connect 3 devices - Like Bluetooth headset & Smart Watch

*  Ride Mode: Specially for bike rider safety & Keep them away from the unwanted distraction of call

*  Party Mode: Connect up to 6 Honor devices and play your favourite song in all the device at the same time

The Honor 10 Lite is the successor of the Honor 9 lite that was launched in India earlier in the year 2018. Honor has sold more than 1.5 million Honor 9 Lite devices so far.

  

LTI to Acquire Germany Based Temenos WealthSuite specialist NIELSEN+PARTNER

Larsen & Toubro Infotech Ltd., a global technology consulting and digital solutions company, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire NIELSEN+PARTNER (N+P), an independent Temenos WealthSuite specialist, headquartered in Hamburg, Germany.

N+P is a leading partner of Temenos in Europe and APAC. The company is well-recognized for its market-leading capabilities in Temenos WealthSuite, including Triple’ A Plus, Data Source and Channels. With  presence in major Banking and Wealth Management hubs like Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Singapore, N+P also provides IT Consulting, digital and software engineering services to major enterprises.

This acquisition is synergistic to Syncordis acquisition that LTI announced in 2017. Syncordis is the leading Temenos T24 Core Banking Platform specialist with widespread presence in Europe, whereas N+P has built comprehensive expertise in the front office of Temenos WealthSuite. Together with Syncordis, N+P strengthens LTI’s capabilities as a global expert of Temenos suite of products and enriches company’s offerings to Banking clients. Upon integration, N+P’s Temenos business will be consolidated under the brand of Syncordis, while software engineering business will operate and expand as part of LTI Germany.

Sanjay Jalona, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director, LTI, said: “Temenos is the world leader in banking software. Since the Syncordis acquisition, this has been a fast-growing practice for us, enabling resilient relationships and rich, cross-selling opportunities. The acquisition of N+P will help us further establish LTI as a formidable player in the fast-growing market for Temenos and help our clients navigate their digital transformation journey. I welcome the employees and clients of N+P to LTI family.”

Manuel Brunckhorst, CEO, N+P said: “Joining forces with strategic and complementary partners like LTI and Syncordis is the next logical step to accelerate our growth, enhance our capabilities and extend our services, both for Temenos, as well as software engineering services. We are very excited about the future and continuing our journey with our existing and new clients, employees and partners.”

Guillaume Desjonqueres, CEO, Syncordis said: “Syncordis has been growing at a faster pace since its acquisition by LTI. With LTI acquiring N+P, we are entering into a new phase, expanding both our Temenos offerings and our footprint outside of Europe. In line with our strategic vision, Syncordis and N+P together with LTI will provide complete and innovative services to Temenos clients in the Banking and Wealth Management space, globally.”

This is the fourth acquisition by LTI since the company got listed in 2016. In January 2019, the company acquired Ruletronics, a boutique Pega Consulting company.

Haptik Joins Hands with vCommission to Boost Adoption of Conversational AI in Performance Marketing

Haptik, one of the world’s largest conversational AI platforms has announced its alliance with vCommission, leading Global affiliate network, to implement Conversational AI solutions in performance marketing. While Haptik will work with publishers in integrating chatbots on their digital properties, vCommission will work closely with marketeers to offer performance based advertising options which is  non-intrusive ad experiences within these properties.

With affiliate marketing set to grow in leaps and bounds in times to come, the association is the most opportune. The industry is expected to grow at a CAGR of 27% and be worth USD 835 million by 2025, as per the industry reports, resulting in a staggering 8X growth when compared with the current valuation of USD 96 million.

Conversational AI is expected to usher the sector in its next stage of disruption and growth. In the past, most of a marketer’s attention has been devoted to engaging with audience across screens via taps, clicks, likes, comments, and shares. However, chatbots are moving the metrics of engagement by turning the attention towards conversations. As industry pundits are often heard saying, marketing as a discipline is headed towards ‘interactions’. Thus, every kind of user engagement must appear as a conversation, a feat easily available with the adoption of chatbots in the domain.

In order to simulate an interactive experience with the help of conversational AI, one requires experienced storytellers to help chatbots humanize the conversations. In this domain, Haptik has an experience of building over 100 chatbots, processing more than a billion conversations across multiple industry verticals including e-commerce, banking, insurance, telecom, hospitality, healthcare and automotive.. This experience has come in handy when the promise of technology is a reality and the market is ripe for adoption.

“Chatbots are the future and we are glad to bring about this new media in the affiliate marketing space, by partnering with Haptik. Their expertise in the domain will help vCommission bring innovation in otherwise cliched engagement & lead generation space. Having personally witnessed their complete stack of tech brilliance, we also look forward to creating awareness about Haptik’s chatbots amongst our sprawling network of associates and brand partners,” said Parul Bhargava (Co-Founder & CEO, vCommission).

Commenting on the association, Mr Aakrit Vaish, Co-Founder and CEO, Haptik said, “Leading the space of conversational AI, we have been looking for the right opportunity to diversify our reach and touch upon the performance marketing space. By associating with vCommission, we believe that the time is ripe for us to introduce chatbots for marketeers. With our domain expertise, we will be able to humanize the experience and further help the brand partners of vCommission to successfully reach and engage with their audience, despite the bottlenecks arising out of ad-blocks and frauds.”

Elaborating on the same, Pratyush Kukreja - Business Head, Monetisation, Haptik said, “Evolving with the rapid pace of technology, AI and tech-focused advertisement is the way ahead for marketers. In keeping with this vision, we associated with vCommission for homegrown brands to optimize their web and mobile marketing game. Through this association, we hope to extend our diverse marketing oriented tech solutions to vCommission’s affiliates and bring conversational AI for marketers to the fore.”

Chatbots also aim to resolve the challenges daunting the rise of affiliate marketing in India. These challenges include ad-blocking, which causes significant revenue loss to the performance marketing industry. Furthermore, the industry also suffers at the hands of its own fair share of frauds. For instance, using stolen data for lead generation or stolen credit card details to generate sales. Typosquatting or URLs hijacking domains that sound similar to a company’s name or products and thus picking up referrals from redirects, or cloning the affiliate’s site to steal traffic are other unfair hacks and frauds. Fraudsters may also buy Google AdWords on which the company or the product is ranking high or cookie-stuff all visitors to a website and benefit from unrelated sales. Lastly, scammers may also get people to download adware or spyware that automatically insert the affiliate code.

Since chatbots orchestrate a 2-way interaction, thus the user engagement with chatbots is organic, minimising the risk of fraud and completely by-passing ad blockage.

Zillious Solutions Offloads 80% Stake to Ebix Inc Supplier of On-Demand Software and E-commerce Services

Zillious Solutions Private Limited, an on-demand SaaS travel technology solution, with market leadership in the corporate travel segment in India has offloaded 80% stake to Ebix Inc., a NASDAQ listed leading international supplier of On-Demand software and E-commerce services to the insurance, financial, healthcare and e-learning industries through its Indian arm Ebix Software India.

Zillious is a pure-play on-demand technology initiative which enables end-to-end technology needs of travel management companies (TMCs), corporate, travel agents and Online Travel Agents(OTAs) in the travel industry. The Company is a market Leader in the Indian Corporate Travel technology space, serving 7 out of top 10 TMCs.  The Zillious Exchange processes over 8 Million travel bookings annually, with Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) of approximately $1.4 billion per annum.

Zillious will remain a non-aligned technology platform, and Ebix will promote it internationally in key markets like the Middle East, US and Asia, besides further establishing it as a pure-play on-demand travel technology exchange within India. Both the promoter founders of Zillious, Harsh Azad and Rohit Gaddi, along with all their domain intensive team will continue to work towards this endeavor. Accordingly, the Zillious platform will continue to be offered to the entire travel industry with a glass wall protection for the client base.

Ebix is funding the transaction in cash, using its internal cash reserves. The acquisition is expected to be accretive to Ebix earnings immediately.

“Our decision to offload a majority stake to Ebix was based on our Long term Vision to have a Global footprint by expanding to US, UK, Asia, Australia & New Zealand. With Ebix’s Global reach we will be able to fulfill this vision faster and seamlessly. We at Zillious have been passionately Non-Aligned and independent. In Ebix, we found a partner which was in tune with our core philosophy. This decision will benefit our existing and potential customers immensely”, says Mr. Harsh Azad, Co-founder and Director Zillious.

“Ebix will help us grow across the globe and the Zillious team will continue to grow with us. Infact, to meet the increased volume of work, we will look at hiring tactically, shortly. Our customers will not only be serviced by the same Zillious teams but will also have access to cutting edge technology on a global level. We remain committed to working with our clients and spearheading the team in the best way possible. We will remain at the helm and lead from the front”, says Mr. Rohit Gaddi, Co-founder and Director Zillious.

Ebix Chairman of the Board, President and CEO Robin Raina said, “Ebix has a successful track history of two decades in terms of providing non-aligned technology solutions, with Ebix bullet proofing its clients from data privacy or data sharing or any alignment concerns. We have been in the business of setting up technology airports to power transactions, without taking any sides for decades now. Thus, this acquisition was a natural one for us as it allowed us to do the same in India’s fast-growing travel industry.”

End-to –End Functional Solution for Travel Industry

The Zillious product range is a complete end to end technology suite which encompasses its industry leading booking engine using multiple sources of fares and availability to ensure the lowest and most accurate fares, combined with comprehensive reporting and management capabilities. It provides a single window to address all the travel booking needs of the travel agency staff and business travel center staff to serve all their booking queries.

Zillious platform is interfaced with all the key GDS service providers globally.

With powerful reporting and corporate compliance, multi-channel consultant, implant and Self Booking Tool (SBT), comprehensive user management and auditing, highly sophisticated mobile booking application, multi-product booking engine etc., the Zillious platform is today seen as the most powerful travel technology platform for the Corporate sector.
The Company has the unique solution of offering its core travel technology platform (SBT) to corporates directly apart from the TMCs.

The Company recently expanded its operations in Middle East and has already successfully on-boarded three large travel accounts in Middle East.

Fujifilm India Launches its First ‘WONDER PHOTO SHOP’ at Whitefield, Bangalore

Following the success of its ‘WONDER PHOTO SHOP’ in Chennai and Mumbai, FUJIFILM India today unveiled its exclusive experiential store in Bangalore – ‘Wonder Photo Shop’, making it the third concept store of its kind for the ultimate photo printing and brand experience in India.

Located at Phoenix Market city, Whitefield Main Road, the latest Wonder Photo Shop in the city aims to celebrate Bangalore’s love for photography, art and culture. The store embodies a holistic vision of photography, from picture taking to printing, sharing and social networking, as a creative life experience. With the theme ‘Photo Renaissance’, the store offers an opportunity to experience an immersive and interactive retail space with Fujifilm’s state-of-the-art products and services to meet the aesthetic taste of discerning customers especially the youth.

Today the consumers are passionate about exploring their creativity to print photos and organize them in a fun and imaginative manner. Staying true to its commitment to spread the joy of photo developing, Fujifilm’s Wonder Photo Shop enables customers to discover the wonder of photography and learn how they can bring their favorite photos from smartphones and cameras to life by printing, personalizing, decorating and framing their image creations based on their personal preferences and artistic palate along with unique DIY photo creations.

Wonder Photo Shop will be a learning center, giving customers an opportunity to experience the various product features thus enhancing the ultimate customer experience.

With the full range of Fujifilm’s instax instant print cameras and Share Printer SP-2, the award-winning line of X Series digital cameras and high-quality lenses on display to touch and try, consumers will see the true photographic heritage of Fujifilm and develop their own vision of how to creatively use their photos.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Haruto Iwata, Managing Director, Fujifilm India said, “After the success of our Photo Shop stores in Chennai and Mumbai, we are delighted to take another step towards our goal of bolstering our imaging business with this third store launch in Bangalore. With this expansion, we are confident that we will receive the same recognition and appreciation from our consumers.”

“Bangalore is renowned for its food, culture, art, architecture and diversity. We hope that with the launch of Wonder Photo Shop in the city, customers will experience an ultimate photography experience with memorable prints.”

This Wonder Photo Shop has been shaped in line with the brand’s philosophy of “Value from Innovation’ to create a warm, welcoming environment for guests to spend their time and discover new ways of enjoying photos and to raise the level of creative output to newer heights. A few of the exciting products and services include: Personalized Value Added Printing Products, Wonder Print Station Printings, Photo Related Goods and Accessories.

Store hours

The Wonder Photo Shop will be open all days from 10:30 AM - 10:00 PM.

TKM Sets-Up Centre of Excellence at Sri Venkateshwara College of Engineering, Bengaluru

Reiterating its long-standing commitment towards Skill Development, Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) today inaugurated the Toyota Centre of Excellence at Sri Venkateshwara College of Engineering, Bengaluru. The concept of establishing Toyota Centre of Excellence at various colleges and institutes is in line with Toyota’s focus to enhance the skill sets and offer well trained-qualified workforce to the automotive industry. Through this skill initiative, the institution can be elevated to impart high quality skill standards, by providing expert trainers, facilities, and equipment.

In order to facilitate in-depth knowledge of engine composition at the grass-root level, Toyota handed over one cut section of the vehicle engine and an assembled engine. The key focus is to provide comprehensive learning opportunities for the students, offering them a first-hand experience of the vehicle engine, that being the most important aspect of a vehicle. The engine cut section will showcase the component set-up in an engine and its related functioning. While the engine assembly section enables the students to gain an insight of the real orientation of the assembled engine including the dismantling and re-assembling techniques, thus achieving high quality skill sets in engine operating mechanism as part of the Skill Enhancement program.

This initiative is basically incorporated to pursue Toyota’s main objectives to promote, setup, monitor, govern and regulate institutions and academies for skill excellence through development of core employability skills, competency standards and to train on advanced technologies to meet the industry demands globally.

The event was graced by Dr. Shashidhar Muniyappa - Chief Executive Director and Dr. Suresha – Principal of Sri Venkateshwara College of Engineering in the presence of senior representatives of Toyota Kirloskar Motor, Mr. K V Rajendra Hegde – General Manager and Mr. M K Swamy – General Manager.

Commenting on this initiative, Dr. Shashidhar Muniyappa - Chief Executive Director, Sri Venkateshwara College of Engineering, said, “Skill enhancement is a key aspect for the socio-economic development of the nation and being a member of the fraternity, I feel it is our responsibility to impart quality education amongst our students.

It is heartening to see Toyota leading by example being a responsible corporate citizen through its various initiatives to cover broader societal issues. Over the years Toyota has pioneered in manufacturing cars of global standards, Quality and Excellence being their DNA.

It is our absolute honour to partner with Toyota in a noble cause as this. Through this program, we are confident that the students would gain a better insight into the complexity associated with the engine, which is an essential part of a vehicle, while enriching their overall learning experience.”

Expressing his views on the occasion, Mr. Naveen Soni - Vice President - Toyota Kirloskar Motor, said, “The pace of learning and innovation in a country is critical to economic success. Specialist skill shortages often emerges affecting the quality outputs. Governments, Corporates and Training providers need to work together to fill these critical skills gaps.

Toyota focuses to create a platform to make available steady supply of highly skilled workers to boost productivity and sustain the growth momentum. One way to do this is by establishing centers of excellence, which can help drive rapid, targeted improvements in the quality of training.

We, at Toyota, stand strong for this noble cause through our social initiative of establishing Centres of Excellence in association with various colleges and institutes across the country, providing more comprehensive learning opportunities for the students at the grass-root level. Being a responsible corporate citizen, our objective is to empower the students to be future ready with desired skill sets and competencies, while contributing to the nations’ growth and Industry’s employability ratio.” he added.

The company has been tirelessly working towards enhancing the employability quotient in the automobile manufacturing industry across India, by promoting unique skill sets.

As a part of its commitment towards developing world class skilled workforce for the emerging Indian Auto Industry, Toyota in 2007 established the Toyota Technical Training Institute (TTTI) which offers a three-year rigorous full-time training in – Automobile Assembly, Automobile Paint, Automobile Weld and Mechatronics (a combination of mechanical and industrial electronics) to financially challenged students hailing from Below Poverty Line (BPL) families from across Karnataka. This institute exclusively emphasizes on over all development of the trainees as per industry requirements & towards “Perfecting people” and there by contributing young multi skilled, energetic, ideal students to the nation. Training Curriculum is a unique blend which focuses on the holistic development of Knowledge (16%), Skill (34%), Body and Mind (50%) of the students. Last year Toyota’s TTTI institute accomplished the key milestone of being selected for “Manufacturing Skill Transfer Promotion Programme” under the MoU signed by Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Government of Japan (METI) and Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Government of India (MSDE).

Some of the key highlights of TKM’s other skill initiatives follows:

* Gurukul is a well-equipped learning center at TKM imparts diverse training to employees at all levels which helps them to improve their abilities and thoroughly fulfill their roles. Everyone who works in Toyota experiences 70% of their development through the job itself; and the experience serves as a driving force in developing the next generation.

* Toyota Technical Education Program (T-TEP) provides technical know-how training to ITI students across India along with providing hands-on real-time experience within Toyota dealerships

* Toyota Apprentice Scheme (TAS) – Under TAS, TKM has trained over 12,000 Apprentice Members (ITI, Diploma and Engineer) since 2002, which makes it one of the largest sources of providing such manpower to the industry.

* National Skill Contest– Launched in 2014, National Sales & Service Skill Contest is an initiative that provides Toyota’s dealer sales & service personnel to showcase their skill levels with a view to identify gaps and improvise. Held at three levels – across dealership, regional and national levels, the contestants are evaluated on various parameters such as knowledge, process demonstration, soft skills and role plays among others. Continuous training skills are imparted to hone the dealer personnel skill sets to meet the growing expectations and deliver Toyota’s best-of-all Quality, Durability & Reliability for ultimate customer delight.

SBI Life Partners with Parikrama Humanity Foundation to Provide Education to 550 Lesser Privileged Children

SBI Life Insurance, one of the most trusted life insurance companies in the country, partnered with Parikrama Humanity Foundation taking on the happy responsibility of the complete development of 550 lesser privileged children.

The end-to end model will see SBI Life supporting the children right from Kindergarten through university (by providing higher education and scholarships) and will also further support them to be meaningfully employed. 330 children from Classes KG through X and 220 students enrolled in Classes XI and XII (Junior College) at the Parikrama learning centre in Sahakaranagar, Bangalore will be supported by SBI Life.

Mr. Sanjeev Nautiyal, MD & CEO, SBI Life Insurance handed over the cheque to Ms. Shukla Bose, Founder, Parikrama Humanity Foundation in the presence of Mr. M Anand, President- Zone II, SBI Life Insurance, Mr. Debasis Chatterjee, Regional Director-Bangalore, SBI Life Insurance and other dignitaries from SBI Life Insurance.

Speaking at the occasion, Mr. Sanjeev Nautiyal, MD & CEO, SBI Life Insurance, said, “Karnataka continues to be an important region in terms of our business priorities and as a market leader, we believe it is our responsibility to work towards holistic development of the state. Education being the most powerful tool to build a sustainable future, we at SBI Life are committed to provide accessible quality education for all. We hope our humble efforts can help build a better community for the next generation.”

SBI Life has emerged as a leading life insurer in Karnataka registering Rs. 561 crores of new business premium collection from the state for the nine months ended 31st December 2018, as compared to Rs. 495 crores in the same period last year, growing a healthy 13.5% over last year.

Parikrma Humanity Foundation, is a non-profit organization that aims to ensure that the poorest of children can access the best possible opportunities in the world. Over the years, Parikrma has helped transform the lives of 1700 children, from 69 slum communities and 4 orphanages across the city. Parikrma students have successfully integrated with mainstream institutions across different segments of society, and are contributing towards positive change in the country.

TECNO Brings 8MP AI Selfie Camera & 3GB RAM in Sub 8K, Set to Change the Game with All-New CAMON iACE2X

Bolstered by the success of “CAMON” series, TECNO, an offline smartphone brand of TRANSSION India showcases the sharp rise in demand and remarkable acceptance by the consumers of India for TECNO as it has become the fastest-growing smartphone brand in 2018 witnessing 221% YOY growth in terms of shipment as per Counterpoint Research Market Monitor 2018 year-end report.

Heading into the new year with refined commitment to camera-centric phones, the brand today announces the launch of 2019 first duo offerings from their deck, namely CAMON iACE2x and CAMON iACE2. The smartphone flaunts many industry-first innovations in the sub 8K smartphone segment such as the 3GB RAM, 8MP AI selfie, and new gradient color.

Mr. Arijeet Talapatra, CEO, TRANSSION India said, “We are a youth-centric brand, listening to and understanding the voice from our customers have formed a part of our very DNA. CAMON portfolio is designed to cater to the aspirations of today’s tech-savvy millennials who consider smartphone as their first & preferred choice of taking decent pictures and sharing them via social media. The software algorithm of camera is optimized on Indian Skin tone and delivers best-in-class photography in any type of challenging environments.

Talking about the new smartphone launch, Mr. Talapatra further added, “In 2019, we are leveraging this momentum to continuously challenge ourselves by offering our consumers with premium smartphone products at affordable prices to maximize the value for money.  The new CAMON iACE series have created a powerful fusion of style and technology with exhaustive specs in every dimension of design, performance, and user experience. It is a future-ready budget smartphone that comes loaded with meaningful innovations such as anti-oil fingerprint, bigger RAM storage, intelligent camera kit, new gradient color, and localized free back panel, which make it one of the best ‘All-rounder champion’ phone in sub 8k category.”

Giving more power in the hands of customers, all TECNO smartphones come with a unique promise of “111” under which it offers 1-time screen replacement, 100-days free replacement, and 1-month extended warranty. Apart from that, it comes with the commitment of bringing to consumers the best after-sales services through its service brand — Carlcare — which has two COCO (company-owned, company-controlled) service centers and more than 960 multi-brand service touch points for its customers across the country. It is this ownership of the end-to-end customer journey, both before and after the purchase, that has helped build trust and confidence among our consumers and partners.

The new smartphones will be available for sale starting from today across more than 35000+ retail outlets PAN India.

Experience smart photography with Intelligent camera kit

These smartphones are equipped with 13MP AI rear camera with f/1.8 aperture & VGA for brilliant photo shooting. With AI Auto Scene Detection (ASD) based on deep learning algorithm, it detects all type of light conditions and automatically adjusts the brightness and contrast ratio to ensure the best image output in any outdoor environments. Your beauty will still shine even in the dark thanks to the embedded dual LED soft lights.

Both the smartphones come with 8MP AI selfie camera with f/2.0 aperture & front flash which helps in capturing more light for better quality selfies, no matter what kind of scenes and light conditions you are in. Furthermore, the device comes with AI beauty algorithm that scans up to 228 facial points to create a more detailed and beautiful selfie.  It also comes with AI Bokeh mode that blurs the background to make the subject stand out.

Superior Design for budget smartphone

As for display, yet again the brand has not compromised, CAMON iACE is endowed with 5.5” HD+ Full View display with 18:9 aspect ratio. The smartphone is light weighted at just 150 gms and is perfect for one hand operation. The smartphone flaunts a stylish design, with a unique fusion back cover color that catches the eye. It is available in 3 amazing colours – Midnight black, Champagne Gold and Nebula black (new Gradient colour available in CAMON iACE2x) and City Blue (in CAMON iACE2)

With 2.5D curved edges, 80.5% screen-to-body ratio, slim bezels & 8.48mm thickness, the smartphone exquisite looks make it an ideal device for consumers who want their brand to reflect their personal style.

Power-packed performance under 8K

The duo smartphones come with improved performance to budget-level smartphones by offering long battery, spacious storage capacity and smart processing power and performance.

It is equipped with 2.0GHz Helio A22 64bit Quad-Core processor powered with HiOS 4.1 based on latest Android Oreo 8.1 operating system is snappy and runs efficiently without any lag lets you reap the benefits of multi-tasking & enable faster processing.

CAMON iACE2x becomes first in the 8K segment to offer 3GB RAM. It is available in two storage variants of 3GB + 32GB priced at INR 7599 & 2GB + 32GB priced at INR 6699.

As smartphone privacy and security is key these days, it comes with advance AI led face recognition technology which provides quick Face Unlock under 0.3 sec.  Another highlight of CAMON iACE2x is its unique localized feature of an anti-oil fingerprint sensor that provides hassle free access to the phone under all Indian lifestyle and weather conditions.

Clocking in at a 3050mAh battery, the CAMON iACE allows you to enjoy a 24-hours non-stop battery life on a single charge along with AI power management which tracks the consumer usage pattern of the smartphone and optimizes the battery life according to the usage.

The device also allows consumer to use 4G VoLTE in both the SIM cards at the same time. It is a dual SIM smartphone with dedicated microSD card slot, which can support expandable memory upto 128GB.