Developers' Queue at Microsoft's Build 2015

Microsoft Build 2015 was held at The Leela Palace in Bangalore on June 10, 2015. The conference is mainly focused on developer community. The conference covered all Microsoft Platforms – Windows, Azure, Office 365 and more. The city with large developer’s community received deep understanding, allowing them to take advantage of the platforms, including Windows 10, and providing access to over 1.5 billion devices. 

Windows 10 was the star attraction as it will be an exciting release for developers, with support for Universal Windows apps that run across all Windows 10 devices. The company has worked on enabling developers turn their existing Android, iOS, Web and even .NET and Web32 code to the Windows Store ready apps. It boils down to a new added ability to reuse various existing application code and repurpose it as a Windows universal application.

Microsoft announced that developers will be able to more easily bring their Android applications to Windows devices. The company said developers will be able to “reuse nearly all the Java and C++ code from an Android phone app to create apps for phones running Windows 10.” Developers will also be able to recycle their Objective-C apps for iOS using new tools in Visual Studio.

King, for example, used these tools to bring Candy Crush Saga to Windows Phone. 

Data Security Council of India (DSCI) to Host 7th Edition of Best Practices Meet

Data Security Council of India (DSCI) has announced the 7^thedition of Best Practices Meet 2015, scheduled to be held in Bengaluru, from July 9-10.

With the unleashing of the Digital Technologies Globally and in India BPM 2015, has “Architecting Security for Digital Transformation” as the theme. The two-day deliberations, will reflect on policy, endeavors at national and industry levels, proposed industry steps, market response, best practices, industry standards and technology designs and see how they play their roles in architecting of information systems and enterprise security within organizations.

As country is witnessing a great push for transforming the economy to a digital economy, significant steps have been taken by the government and public sector, which promise to alter the nature and fabric of services delivered to the citizens by them. Furthermore, the Digital India initiative not only tends to re-structure the entire delivery of these services, but also unleash the potential of private sector leading to a technology makeover. This transformation is led by digitization of data, experimentations with technology enabled channels, adoption of mobile technologies, choice of using diverse devices and technology enabled transaction processing. Digital technologies create immense possibilities and unveil many ways to solve a specific business or governance problem. However, in the process they may expand the threat landscape, introduce vulnerabilities, weaken the security composition and give rise to many new possibilities of security vulnerabilities.  Security hence becomes integral component of Digital transformation.

On the day of announcement Rama Vedashree, VP NASSCOM and Interim CEO, DSCI said “Digital transformation calls for in-depth, 360⁰ analysis of security. Architecting a security solution should factor the complex threat landscape. This year’s DSCI Best Practices Meet promises to take a deep dive into the policy, technology and the practices that would help design and organize the security structure and make processes more resilient”

Highlights of the agenda include  workshops on ‘Cyber Insurance’ and ‘Management of Legal Risks in IT-enabled businesses’, breakfast session on day two, discussing ‘The Wearables: Relevance to Enterprise’, track sessions and policy updates, besides plenary sessions. Focused on ‘Architecting Security’, BPM 2015 would deliberate on how architectural views, approaches, frameworks, processes and practices work for security and what benefits they yield to the enterprise and the consumer.

Gaming Company Xerces Tech Acquired By JetSynthesys

JetSynthesys Pvt. Ltd., a part of the Navani family owned JetLine Group of Companies, today announced the acquisition of Pune-based gaming company Xerces Technologies. Having achieved success in the application development market, the 10 year old company, Xerces Technologies, developed India’s no. 1 game with over 9 million downloads way back in 2008. Having a series of successes in the online gaming market the company has developed most downloaded games across various app stores such as Cricket Unlimited, StickMan fighter, Bull Fighter, Mad Car Racing and the movie based game Bang Bang.

“JetSynthesys & Xerces are both believers and understand that there is a wide opportunity available for the growth of mobile gaming in India” said, Rajan Navani, Vice Chairman, Managing Director and CEO, JetSynthesys. “Through this acquisition, JetSynthesys will strengthen our already robust digital gaming portfolio, PlayIzzOn, to become a larger player in the gaming space focused on building gaming experiences for the global market including celebrity games and enabling games to monetize effectively in India.  Xerces brings to JetSynthesys a strong team that understands the complexities of delivering world class commercially successful products.

Xerxes Mullan, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Xerces Technologies said, “We are elated to become a part of JetSynthesys as this will accelerate our joint efforts to become an extremely valuable gaming company in the world. JetSynthesys’ technological capabilities in the analytics and digital marketing space are at par with the best in the world and that should help further enhance our value proposition to the end consumer.”

Gemalto provides SMS ticketing to Milan public transport

Gemalto, the world leader in digital security, has deployed a Netsize SMS ticketing solution together with Milan's public transport company, ATM (Milan), enabling commuters to purchase and use their tickets via their mobile phone. ATM carries around 700 million passengers a year, and now benefits from a highly efficient sales channel that is available 24/7 via any type of mobile phone. This service is available to subscribers of the four major Italian mobile network operators.

The Direct Operator Billing solution from Gemalto sets new standards for convenience on Milan's public transport network. Instead of fumbling for notes and coins, travelers in Italy's second largest city can simply send a text to a standard short code number, with the Netsize system charging the fare directly to the customer's regular mobile phone bill. They receive an SMS in return with a code which they show to the bus controller on request or enter into the vending machine in exchange for printed metro ticket.

The introduction of SMS ticketing comes ahead of the World Expo that is being staged in Milan this summer. ATM expects around 20 million people to visit the city over a five month period. The use of SMS tickets will ensure an effortless traveling experience to and from the event.

"Customers love the ease and accessibility of SMS ticketing, which does away with the struggle to find the right change," said Roberto Andreoli, CIO for ATM. "This new service for ATM marks the third phase of mobile ticketing in Milan and, with the introduction of QR codes, it's also possible to directly access underground lines, after buying a ticket via SMS ticketing."

"SMS ticketing delivers an easier ride for travelers and outstanding efficiency benefits for transport providers," added Benoit Bole, Senior Vice President of Netsize at Gemalto. "Gemalto offers unrivaled expertise and experience, with 18 public transport companies in Italy already using their SMS ticketing solution."

HP & Bang & Olufsen Bring Superior Sound Technology to New Laptops

HP has unveiled new laptops, primarily aimed at gaming and general entertainment consumption. The company has teamed up with Bang & Olufsen to bring the best in sound technology to HP’s new range of laptops. HP brings out Omen, a 15.6-inch gaming equipped with the GeForce GTX 960M graphics card and an Intel Core i7 quad-core processor. The new HP Pavilion laptops are equipped with similar hardware as the Omen, but without the high-end laptop graphics card. They are equipped with Intel’s new fifth-generation Core processors.

HP Omen Gaming Notebook comes with Bang & Olufsen audio experience, designed specifically for hardcore gamers. The Omen boasts a 15.6-inch full HD display with a resolution capability of 1,920x1,080 pixels and constructed out of premium aluminium finish.

Omen comes packed with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M 4GB gaming graphics and an Intel Core i7 Quad Core processor. It also features a customisable back-lit keyboard with six programmable function keys, weighing just 2.12kg and is only 19.9mm thick.

On the other hand, Pavilion 15 Notebook comes with a refined Uni-body design with premium metal-like finish on the outside and superior gradient dual tone finish inside. These notebooks are also equipped with full HD screen (1,920X1,080 pixels) and packs the latest fifth generation Intel Core processors.

On the launch, HP and Bang & Olufsen has announced a collaboration that brings the globally recognised sound of Bang & Olufsen and B&O PLAY to HP's new devices.

"By introducing new range of notebooks with Bang and Olufsen, HP is looking to blend high end technology seamlessly into the lifestyle of the new age consumer enabling the consumers enjoy rich and immersive audio experience," said Ketan Patel, director personal systems, Printing and Personal Systems, HP India. "We are thrilled to work with Bang & Olufsen to create exceptional sound experiences for customers through HP Notebooks."

The notebooks also feature an audio island that isolates the sensitive audio circuits from other signals on the motherboard. The headphone jack limits the amount of metal parts to reduce ground noise to help further perfect the audio experience on the devices.

HP Omen is available in India at a price of ₹1,59,990, while the HP Pavilion 15 Notebook is priced at ₹44,490.  

Private Preview of Microsoft Cloud Services from India Datacenters in July 2015

Customers will be able to participate in the private preview of Microsoft Azure from India datacenters in July 2015, which is a key component of our Microsoft Cloud services.  This will give them a head-start to run trials of their apps on Microsoft Azure from local infrastructure.  With these hyper-scale datacenters, Microsoft will offer enterprise-grade cloud services from local datacenters to customers of all sizes and industries including government departments and banking and financial services. Microsoft will launch the commercial cloud services from local datacenters by the end of this year.

In addition to Microsoft Azure and Office 365, Microsoft also announced that Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online will also be available from India datacenters in the first half of 2016.

Speaking with the media in Bangalore today, Scott Guthrie, Executive Vice President, Microsoft Cloud and Enterprise Group, said, “Building an intelligent cloud is a key Microsoft strategy for global markets, including India. We deliver the most open, complete and secure enterprise-grade cloud services.  Services from local datacenters will open infinite computing capacity for Indian government departments, banks, telecom companies and enterprises or all sizes. This will help make Digital India a reality.”

With the availability of Microsoft’s commercial cloud service from local datacenters, public and hybrid cloud adoption will likely accelerate in India. Organizations in the country will benefit from data sovereignty, lower latency and geo redundancy with the availability of local infrastructure.

Microsoft’s cloud services in India have grown over 100 percent in revenue in the past year, and the commitment to offer locally hosted Microsoft Azure, Office 365 and CRM Online will further accelerate this. Microsoft’s locally available cloud services will open opportunities for customers across many different segments and industries including banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) companies, state-owned enterprises and government departments, to now adopt the public cloud. The services offered via the local datacenters will create new avenues for Microsoft India’s 10,000+ partner ecosystem, comprised of hosters, independent software vendors (ISVs), system integrators (SIs) and others.  It can open new possibilities in e-governance, financial inclusion, healthcare and education, and positively impact the lives of a billion people.  

Easy-to-use Android Mobile App Helps Find Nearest Doctors & Hospitals for Check-ups

Medinfi Healthcare Private Limited has announced the launch of its Android mobile application on Google Play Store. Medinfi is an easy-to-use Android mobile application which helps users locate the nearest doctors and hospitals for their every-day check-ups. The application automatically detects the current user location and displays the nearest doctors and hospitals. Apart from General Physicians, users can easily locate Specialist doctors by simply searching for affected body part (e.g. heart) or affected patients (for example childrens). 

While the users can call the doctors and hospitals from the mobile application, Medinfi does not have any revenue tie-ups with either doctors or hospitals and thereby does not book appointments. The company wants to remain a pure-play content platform and would like to continue serving its users with genuine and verified content at all times.

Maria, 27, Software Developer said “I have recently shifted to Bengaluru and wanted to consult a dentist for regular dental check-up. Given my hectic work schedule, I never got time to really explore Malleshwaram area and look for a dentist. That’s when I came to know about Medinfi mobile application through which I easily found information on dental clinics near my home. Finally I am going to make that long pending visit to the dentist next week.”

Currently, the application is available for users in Bengaluru, Delhi, and Mumbai with information on 5000+ verified doctors and hospitals. The company plans to expand to 20 Indian cities by end of this year and hopes to become India’s largest content based healthcare platform by acquiring nearly one million users for its application. Medinfi mobile application has consistently received good feedback from its users and is currently rated 4.7 out of 5 on Google Play Store.