Rs 1 Cr UTC’s Grant For Neighbourhood Improvement Partnership Challenge

 United Technologies Corporation has announced the launch of its sustainable urbanization project, Citizens for the City (www.citizensforthecity.in) by introducing India’s first ever Neighbourhood Improvement Partnership Challenge. UTC’s Citizens for the City project will aid planned urban growth by bringing stakeholders in sustainable urban planning together through research, reports, competitions and other initiatives.

The Neighbourhood Improvement Partnership Challenge (The Challenge) encourages citizens to come together to resolve civic issues in the areas of mobility, hygiene and sanitation, safety and energy conservation. The best projects, selected by an eminent jury panel, will share the Citizens for the City Grant, worth INR One crore. The Challenge, under the banner of Citizens for the City, is being implemented by the Centre for Public Problem Solving (CPPS), a division of Imagine Bangalore with support from EMBARQ India.   CPPS is a think tank working towards a collaborative approach for problem solving of urban issues. The Challenge also brings together several organisations like BBMP and BPAC involved in solving the city’s civic and urban issues. UTC is funding this program through a leading non-profit organization, United Way of Bengaluru.

The campaigns surrounding The Challenge will include several on-the-ground and digital initiatives to encourage citizens to submit projects and execute them. A panel of jurists will evaluate these campaigns on the basis of the identified parameters including community building, innovative solutions, execution quotient and budget planning.

Announcing the initiative, Chris Rao, Vice President & Country Head, UTC Aerospace Systems, India, said, “Sustainable urbanization is no longer a buzzword; it is an imperative in urban planning and development. Our endeavor through UTC’s Citizens for the City Campaign is to identify exciting projects that touch urban lives, and make them a reality through technical, financial and logistical support. In many ways, The Challenge launched today urges citizens to think of utilizing existing resources in an optimal way for our immediate needs, keeping in mind needs of the future generation.”

“Each day, 800 people move to Bangalore. The resulting demands on public infrastructure, public services, and many other aspects of life in the city are high. The ability of government agencies to provide these services is increasingly stretched. The Challenge will begin to foster a culture of engagement and ownership in neighbourhood improvement projects that are ideated by the people, for their community,” said Kalpana Kar, Founder Member, CPPS.

 “Given UTC’s focus on sustainability and the energy challenges faced by the India, the Neighbourhood Improvement Partnership Challenge encourages innovative ideas to reduce the overall energy footprint of neighbourhoods, and it will address mobility, safety and sanitation issues. The purpose of this initiative is to empower the beneficiaries to become agents of change in society,” said Ashok Mirchandani, Managing Director, Carrier Transicold, Asia Pacific.

39 Nasscon’s Tech Start-Ups Set for Trip to Silicon Valley

Aimed at evangelizing and mentoring India’s burgeoning start-up ecosystem, National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) is set to host the second edition of NASSCOM Innotrek 2015. With 39 start-ups selected for this year’s edition, the program aims to provide this group of Indian technology entrepreneurs & founders, an opportunity to get encouraged through workshops, networking sessions, investor panels, expert roundtables and corporate briefings with subject matter experts and global veterans.

InnoTrek initiative has received a very encouraging response from both – the participants and the industry – for promoting entrepreneurship, and providing a learning and networking platform for the participants. The shortlisted will also have the opportunity to learn important lessons on scaling up globally and forge relationships to give them a competitive advantage.

Starting May 11^th 2015, the program will provide insights into the booming technology markets along with networking opportunities with Silicon Valley investors, entrepreneurs and service providers. It will showcase 38 promising early stage tech startups from India working through diverse domains like ad-tech, mobility, big data analytics, SAAS, etc. The focus this year will be on practitioners networking and peer to peer interaction which will enable startups to learn from their counterparts in the valley.

On Innotrek Delegation visit, Mr. Ravi Gururaj, Chair, NASSCOM Product Council said “The U.S. is a large unified market with a single language and a single culture, which allows companies to grow big before they can start thinking of international expansion. Building on our event last year, we are excited to take 40 very promising and innovative start-ups to the Silicon Valley. We want to give them the exposure that will help them not only ‘think scale, but think global”.

Rajat Tandon, Sr. Director, NASSCOM 10,000 Startups added, “To win big, ‘I need to move to Silicon Valley’. I’ve heard this American Dream from entrepreneurs. Valley, is yes the globe’s tech mecca and with InnoTrek our objective is to deep dive into the SV (Silicon Valley) experience for startups and build back in India, since it’s better to be there, where your customers are.”

On the agenda for the week-long trek are workshops, accelerator visits, expert panels and roundtables on growth hacking, consumer & mobile web, and fund raising tips with successful US entrepreneurs, and investors. Entrepreneurs will also get to have a direct first-hand interaction with reputed seed accelerators like 500 Startups, Spinta Accelerator, and YCombinator that have an impressive portfolio of companies that they have invested in and accelerated from across the world. 

Delegation will also be attending the globally renowned TiECon. A complete day is for campus visits to the corporate offices of global tech giants like Google, LinkedIn and Facebook followed by a Shark Tank where these startups will get the opportunity to pitch to valley investors. Innotrek will conclude with the visit to Maker Faire, to "celebrate arts, crafts, science projects, engineering and the Do-It-Yourself mindset”, basically to encourage out-of-the-box thinking, which is critical for entrepreneurs.

Wanderers 4.0 Flagged Off from Wrangler Outlet in City

After a nationwide search for India’s most passionate bikers, ten winners have been chosen to embark on an epic road trip as part of Wrangler’s True Wanderer 4.0 contest.

We were present at the Bengaluru flag-off ceremony where Sudhir Prasad and Saquib Ahmad joined eight other journeymen who have embarked on the week-long road-trip all kitted-out in Wrangler’s signature biking-focused denims and tees.

All ten riders will provide daily updates on their trip via personal blogs that include write-ups, videos and pictures from the road, all of which can be viewed at www.truewanderers.in. One of these ten riders will also take home a brand-new Triumph Bonneville at the end of their journey based on your votes and the ruling of an expert panel.    

Remedinet App Makes Health Insurance Claims Available at Fingertips

Remedinet Technologies, India’s first end-to-end electronic cashless claims exchange for health insurance, has launched two mobile apps on Windows 8.1 and Android platforms with Microsoft Visual Studio, for making information on the status of cashless health insurances claims easily available to patients and hospitals. Insurance desks and resources working out of hospitals can download Remedinet - Hospital mobile app to access information regarding claims adjudication while patients can download Remedinet - Consumer app to check the status of their claims.

The app is available for Windows and Android based mobile devices such as tabs and smartphones. The iOS version of the apps is expected to be available soon.

Munish Daga, CEO, Remedinet Technologies said: “Today, information is accessible at the fingertips, and we are trying to play our small role by enabling both hospitals and patients to monitor the status of their cashless claims on handheld devices. The aim of this launch is to make the entire cashless claims process as fast, fluid, and efficient as possible. Without a solid technology backbone, achieving efficient and transparent transactions is next to impossible. Microsoft’s solutions and the Windows 8.1 platform have enabled us to build these future-ready apps, and this makes the process of claim settlement easier and more consumer-friendly.” 

Vineet Durani, Director – Windows Business Group at Microsoft India says “There is a huge need to leverage technology optimally to support the healthcare ecosystem in India, and the launch of these apps on Windows 8.1 platform is our contribution to this cause. We are glad to be associated with Remedinet Technologies, as this association reinforces Microsoft’s commitment to developing technology that revolves around people and helps transform lives.” 

Remedinet - Hospital app

Authorized people from the hospital with valid user ID on the Remedinet platform will be able to log in anytime from anywhere and check the status of their claim. This will eliminate any need to be at the desk all the time. Hospitals housed in large complexes with multiple buildings will benefit tremendously from this app as the hospital staff will now be able to access the progress of the claims through their mobile phone - from any building, wing or department, any time. They can access the entire history of the claim on the app simply by entering either the name of the patient or the reference number of the claim.

Remedinet - Consumer app

This app gives power to the patients and their family to access the latest status of their cashless health insurance claim at kiosks installed in hospitals. The application is easy to navigate and information can be accessed by entering either the name of the patient or the reference number of the claim. The system does not require the customer to approach the customer service department or the claims office and wait in a queue to seek information. Using this convenient option, consumers can obtain information on their handheld devices as well as enjoy the freedom of access - anytime and from anywhere.

Healthy Diet Gives Vigorous Scalp & Hair, Says AHS Experts

Advanced Hair Studio (AHS), a leading hair replacement, hair re-growth company recently conducted a hair care session with Bangalore’s renowned nutritionist Ryan Fernando and AHS ambassador Kate Hallam, Former Beauty queen, Actress and International Model and Wife to Lucky Ali in Bangalore. The session included an informative talk highlighting the importance of simple dietary requirements to get a perfectly healthy scalp and beautiful hair. The session also answered a plethora of conventional myths regarding hair care, highlighted the latest hair trends, advancements in the hair industry as well.

Ryan Fernando, while discussing the importance of hair in the session, strongly recommended that eating healthy is the best way to look beautiful. Human cells are made up in a very basic way of raw materials (Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen and Nitrogen and plethora of minerals) and eating right provides these essential raw materials that lead to the perfect maintenance, growth and regeneration of hair.

Further talking about healthy eating, Ryan Fernando, renowned Nutritionist (Bangalore), said, “Hair, nails and skin are the first indicators for bad eating, where they lose their vibrancy. Therefore, one needs to be very conscious of eating the right foods (fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy products and water) as well as eating the right calories (protein, carb and fats). It is very important for us to determine the nutrients value and accordingly supplement our food intakes.

I thank Advanced Hair Studio and Kate Hallam to have come up with this concept of educating people about healthy eating and its benefits.”

Kate Hallam, Former Beauty queen, Actress and International Model and Wife to Lucky Ali and Advanced Hair Studio brand ambassador while addressing the media said, “It’s high time that we start taking our diet seriously. Increasing stress, erratic sleeping schedules, busy lifestyles, pollution, everything adds to the regular wear and tear of body. Hair being a vital component of our body requires equal attention and dietary needs, as we have noticed it only catches our attention, when we have already lost a major portion of it. I consider myself lucky to have come in the sanctuary of Advanced Hair Studio and their unique procedures that helped me enhance my locks. Their regular hair care sessions on helped me know more about my hair inside- out and increase their luster over the time.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Ryan to provide have shown such great support and have come out with us to promote this cause with us. ”

We, at Advanced Hair Studio strongly has also devised a unique procedure, called Advanced Fitness Programme, which is considered as one of the best treatments in the world to control hair loss and save existing hair.  It also thicken your existing thin and weak hair, re-grow hair in areas where the hair follicles are still alive but not dead, improves scalp condition and improves the texture of hair.

Advanced Hair Studio Fitness Program promises to benefit all those who face hair thinning or hair fall problem. This procedure has given results to thousands of clients across the world.   

Adarsh Credit Co-Op Implements SAP Financial To Stengsthen Customer Engagement

SAP India has announced that Adarsh Credit Co-operative Society Ltd, a leading multi-state credit co-operative society, has chosen SAP solutions for financial services with clear goals: faster development and introduction of new products and meet increasing customer demands by shaping solutions to fit the realities of the modern-day financial service institution.

This implementation enables Adarsh Credit Co-Operative Society Ltd to improve the accessibility of customer information and empower its customers to conduct financial transactions on a user-friendly and cost-efficient application platform. Adarsh Credit Co-Operative Society Ltd. becomes one of the front running customers to leverage the strength of SAP solutions for the financial services institutions.

 With a reach of over a million members across India through its branches and advisors network, Adarsh Credit Co-operative Society Ltd serves customers based in remotest areas of India. They needed technology solutions that supported their vision of financial inclusion at any time or place across India. Their team already runs SAP Mobiliser that helps them empower the low income population with simplified cash collection procedures and secure transactions conducted over mobile device.

The financial services sector has always been a key focus for SAP India to deliver innovative products and services which can further upward organizations to unlock growth opportunities and better serve customers with new-age technology. SAP solutions for the financial services sector are designed to support customer centricity, real-time processing and standardization while enabling faster product innovation.   

New HP’s FunDex To Help Businesses Win in Mobile App Economy

HP has announced new software releases designed to help organizations deliver mobile applications that delight customers and score 5-star ratings. The innovations harness HP’s unique assets in big data analytics,application lifecycle management, IT operations management and security to enable organizations to accelerate the delivery of every phase of the mobile app lifecycle, from creation and pre-production, to delivery and post-production management.

“HP allows us to take big data and make it actionable, so we can deliver exceptional user experiences on our mobile speech translator app,” said Yan Auerbach, COO, SpeechTrans (@SpeechTrans), a leading speech translation company. “Previously, it took us up to three weeks to fix an app issue and now we can address any problem in less than 2 days. Leveraging HP software has enabled us to achieve consistent 5-star ratings in mobile app stores – a key driver of new customers and revenue.” Video: learn how SpeechTrans uses HP Software to increase their number of downloads, boost their Android ratings, and go from three to five star reviews in the app store.

Mobile applications are increasingly becoming the “front door” for a company’s brand, and future revenue and market share often depends on an end user’s immediate overall app experience. Mobile application users expect world-class performance, availability, security and quality, as well as contextual understanding that delivers the right content at the right time.

However, delivering an enjoyable and useful user experience is a non-trivial task – mobile developers, testers, and IT management must contend with a complex and constantly changing web of challenges. These include developing apps for a constantly expanding array of devices, operating systems, networks, and platforms, understanding and acting on the massive volumes of user and device data, and accurately predicting scale and usage levels to enable peak app experience.

HP’s latest innovations are designed to address these challenges by combining its proven assets in application development testing, monitoring and systems management with HP Haven analytics, HP security software, and elegant SaaS-based interfaces. Together, these capabilities result in solutions that help make designing, delivering, and managing mobile applications an intuitive, collaborative and fun process. Businesses can use HP’s solutions to accelerate application delivery, test and monitor apps across multiple devices and operating systems, and provide mobile users with exceptional and secure experiences.

Continuously Improve the User Experience to achieve a 5-Star Mobile App
HP has released a unique new offering that leverages the HP Haven big data platform to allow businesses to gain visibility into the health of their mobile apps and measure overall user experience. HP App Pulse Mobile constantly monitors and analyzes performance, stability and resource usage on mobile apps. The tool provides a “FunDex” score that provides a top-level view of problems that negatively impact the user experience with recommendations to explore and fix the root cause of each issue.

Accelerate Application Delivery with the Power of Big Data

HP has released a new version of its Agile project management software to assist mobile teams in adopting Agile practices and delivering high-quality mobile applications faster:

·         A new version of HP Agile Manager supports real-time integration with HP’s  Application Lifecycle   Management software so that no matter how fast Agile teams deliver, they can have data-driven insights that facilitate quality assurance with each release  

·         HP has also released an enhanced version of Application Lifecycle Management that greatly simplifies the task of defect and test management across fast-moving mobile dev and test teams and extends support across a wide array of browsers and platforms.

Test across Multiple Devices without Compromising Time to Market

HP has delivered new updates to its mobile testing software designed to help customers automate realistic performance and functional testing and manage their mobile test lab to accommodate for network behavior, regardless of constraints:

·         The new version of HP Mobile Center speeds and simplifies app testing on real devices supporting both native iOS, Android and hybrid applications including common JavaScript frameworks such as JQM, Angular and Sencha, and adds support for seven different languages (English, French German, Russian, Japanese, Korean and Chinese)

·         A new version of HP Network Virtualization, with an enhanced user interface and updated performance optimization capabilities helps app development teams incorporate real mobile network conditions in development and testing, ultimately enabling the delivery of apps with an ideal user experience. 

·         A new version of HP Service Virtualization provides critical capabilities for driving mobile development without delays, by extending support for popular protocols such as Websphere MQ, SAP RFC/IDOC.

Deliver Beautiful Experiences that Perform and Scale

HP has unveiled new performance engineering solutions designed to help teams continuously scale mobile apps in the face of peak user loads and maintain availability and responsiveness:

·         Supporting mobile performance testing, new releases of widely adopted HP LoadRunner and HP Performance Center are now integrated with HP Mobile Center, giving mobile QA and development teams’ continual access to real devices in their performance test scenarios.

·         New updates to HP’s cloud-based load testing service: HP StormRunner Load improves performance analytics, extends international geographic coverage to create local load, and supports additional native languages (adding both Chinese and Japanese).  HP StormRunner Load’s intuitive user interface makes it easy to scale both web and mobile load tests to over one million virtual users.

Deliver Secure Mobile Applications that Protect End Users

Just as mobile applications are the front door for a company’s brand and path to revenue, they also serve as an entry point for hackers and security breaches. To help deliver secure mobile applications, HP provides application development and testing that infuses security into coding and testing processes. The new releases of HP Application Lifecycle Management solutions are fully integrated with the HP Fortify application security suite, which is designed to assess and test security at every step of the application development lifecycle, and is continually updated with state of the art algorithms and programming practices.   

“As businesses get serious about their mobile application strategy, they realize that point solutions fall short in helping them to quickly create and deliver amazing mobile experiences that are secure, high-performing, and beautiful,” said Saurabh Saxena, Country Director - India, HP Software. “HP is uniquely positioned to lead in the mobile market by bringing together our proven assets in application development, operations management, security, and big data to help businesses deliver winning mobile apps that delight customers and positively impact their brand, revenue, and market share.”