NI’s Vector Signal Transceiver to Help Solve the Most Demanding RF Design & Test Applications

NI, the provider of platform-based systems that enable engineers and scientists to solve the world’s greatest engineering challenges, today announced a second-generation vector signal transceiver (VST). The NI PXIe-5840 module is the world’s first 1 GHz bandwidth VST and is designed to solve the most challenging RF design and test applications.

 “NI redefined instrumentation in 2012 by introducing the industry’s first VST with an FPGA programmable by LabVIEW to accelerate the pace of design and lower the cost of test,” said Olga Yashkova, program manager for communications test and measurement practice at Frost and Sullivan. “The second-generation VST demonstrates NI’s continued empowerment of engineers with software-designed instrumentation to stay ahead of the complex and rapidly changing wireless technologies and requirements with the most innovative RF test, measurement and prototyping solutions in the market.” 

 The NI PXIe-5840 combines a 6.5 GHz RF vector signal generator, 6.5 GHz vector signal analyzer, high-performance user-programmable FPGA and high-speed serial and parallel digital interfaces into a single 2-slot PXI Express module. With 1 GHz of bandwidth, the latest VST is ideally suited for a wide range of applications including 802.11ac/ax device testing, mobile/Internet of Things device testing, 5G design and testing, RFIC testing, radar prototyping and more.

 “Although engineers can use the second-generation VST to solve many advanced RF test applications right out of the box, its software-designed architecture enables engineers to uniquely customize the user-programmable FPGA,” said Charles Schroeder, vice president of product marketing, RF at NI. “Using the intuitive LabVIEW system design software, engineers can transform the VST into exactly what they need it to be at the firmware level and ultimately address the most demanding test and measurement challenges. This instrument is an unparalleled example of a product that delivers the RF performance required for traditional test and measurement and the flexibility of a software defined radio.”

 Product Features:

 ·         1 GHz of instantaneous bandwidth for advanced digital pre-distortion (DPD) test and wideband signals such as radar, LTE-Advanced Pro and 5G

·         Excellent measurement accuracy that enables the second-generation VST to measure 802.11ax Error Vector Magnitude (EVM) performance of -50 dB

·         Measurement speeds up to 10X faster than traditional instrumentation using FPGA-based measurement acceleration and highly optimized measurement software

·         Small size and tight synchronization allowing for up to 8x8 multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) configuration in a single 18-slot chassis

·         User-programmable FPGA that engineers can easily design with LabVIEW

 “The combination of the industry’s widest bandwidth and low latency software-designed instrument allowed us to discover our automotive radar sensors as never before, and even allowed us to identify problems very early in the design phase that were previously impossible to catch,” said Niels Koch, component owner radar systems, Audi AG. “With the VST and FPGA programmable by LabVIEW, we were able to rapidly emulate a wide range of diverse scenarios, thus influencing safety and reliability aspects in autonomous driving.”

The VST is a vital part of the NI platform and ecosystem that engineers can use to build smarter test systems. These test systems benefit from more than 600 PXI products ranging from DC to mmWave. They feature high-throughput data movement using PCI Express Gen 3 bus interfaces and sub-nanosecond synchronization with integrated timing and triggering. Users can take advantage of the productivity of the LabVIEW and NI TestStand software environments, along with a vibrant ecosystem of partners, add-on IP and applications engineers, to help dramatically lower the cost of test, reduce time to market and future-proof testers for tomorrow’s challenging requirements.

Genpact New Shared Services Delivery Center Comes Up in Kuala Lumpur for F&A Sourcing

Genpact, a global leader in digitally-powered business process management and services, has established operations in Malaysia’s capital city of Kuala Lumpur, further strengthening its footprint in Asia, with the plan to provide finance and accounting (FnA), sourcing, and procurement services for a growing number of clients at this site. This will help Genpact deliver more holistic finance solutions to clients based on its Lean Digital approach that leverages the power of digital technologies through middle and back office operations.

Malaysia, one of Asia’s dynamic economies, has emerged as a thriving global business services hub. With a stable and attractive business environment, government support, educated workforce, and world-class infrastructure, Kuala Lumpur has become an increasingly important business location for many of Genpact’s clients comprising approximately one-fifth of the Fortune Global 500 – the majority of which have operations in Malaysia and other Asia-Pacific countries. This supports one of the company’s strategies of delivering services from regions where their clients run key operations.

Genpact is already working with GSK in this Kuala Lumpur location and expects to hire a number of professionals with domain expertise in F&A and procurement processes who will serve clients across a number of industries including financial services, insurance, and manufacturing.  Being in an optimal time zone for supporting Asian operations, Genpact’s Kuala Lumpur site will provide services in all South East Asian languages including Malay, Bahasa, Tagalog, Vietnamese, and Thai in addition to English – with the ability to provide Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese, and Korean language services as a secondary location.

During an opening celebration at the center today, Dato Wan Peng, Chief Operating Officer of Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), said, “I welcome Genpact to Kuala Lumpur and wish them all the very best. We look forward to working with Genpact in their growth journey.”

“Genpact is excited to establish our operations in Kuala Lumpur, where we’ll be able to deliver transformation-driven business process, consulting, analytics, and digital services for existing and new clients in Asia,” said BK Kalra, senior vice president and business leader, Consumer Goods, Retail, Life Sciences and Healthcare, Genpact. “Given the available and highly-skilled talent pool as well as favorable economic climate, we plan to grow this location over the next few years. This will strengthen our foothold in the Asia Pacific region, where we already have multiple large delivery centers in China, Japan, India, Singapore, and the Philippines.” 

3 Awards at 11th Annual 2016 IT World Awards for Xavient Information System

Xavient Information Systems, an IT Consulting and Software Services Company; with offices in Noida and Bengaluru (India), headquartered in Simi Valley, California; wins 3 esteemed awards and stands strong as the Gold winner in the ‘Best IT Company of the Year’ category at the 11th Annual Network PG's 2016 IT World Awards.

Also, received a Silver for ‘IT Project of the Year’, the project being Migration of Application Integration Platform; followed up with a Bronze in the ‘Best Deployments and Case Studies’ category for best customer user interface experience, and NextGen application storage cost optimization (BigData).

The annual IT World Awards recognition program encompasses the world’s best in organizational performance, products and services, technologies, executives and management teams, successful deployments, product management and engineering, customer satisfaction, and public relations in every area of information technology.

Saif Ahmad, President and CEO - Xavient Information Systems commented, “We are honoured and delighted to have received this appreciation at the IT World Awards. This has well validated our efforts in delivering the best solutions to our clients, across the globe.” Equally thrilled Executive Vice President (India), Arshad Majeed said, “Extremely happy for the three prestigious recognitions, we are elated to share the good news.” Robert Hallahan, VP, who attended the red carpet ceremony said, “We are proud to receive these awards and to be a part of this elite community of leading technology award winners.”

Founded in 2002, Xavient Information Systems strives to consistently deliver excellence through simple yet powerful solutions and personalized service while continuously investing in technology innovations, aligned with emergent market dynamics.

The California headquartered company has about 80 percent of its employees based in India and as a global IT consulting and software services company, Xavient focuses on transforming business ideas into effective solutions and believes that not their words but their performance speaks for them.

Lava’s New X80 Tablet Provides Next Gen Experience to Customers

LAVA International Limited, one of the fastest growing multi-national mobile handset company, has announced the launch of Lava X80, a tablet specifically crafted to provide ‘Next Generation Experience’ to consumers. With its impressive design, immaculate display quality, faster processor and reliable technology - Lava X80 is aptly suited to meet the evolving multi-media usage needs of young adults.

 The device is competitively priced at a pocket friendly price of Rs. 9,999 and will be available across all the national retail stores and multi-brand outlets.

Lava X80 runs on Android KitKat 4.4 operating software which further enhances its reliability. It offers a fast and responsive user interface on an 8” inch HD IPS display, featuring 1280 x 800 pixels high resolution. 

Lava X80 is powered by a Quad Core processor that clocks up to 1.83GHz and is supported by 1 GB RAM - thus ensuring a smooth and lag free user experience. Additionally, Lava X80 comes packed with an integrated Intel Atom Baytrail graphic core chipset which helps in providing a seamless gaming experience. The device also offers an uninterrupted browsing experience with smooth and fast 3G connectivity with GSM 900/1800 MHz and 2100 Mbps HSPA support. Lava X80 device can also be used for calling using the earphones.

 Commenting on the launch, Raman Sharma, VP and Head of Tablets and IT, LAVA International Ltd. said, “We are delighted to announce the launch of Lava X80.  With the evolving internet penetration and thus want of enhanced multimedia usage by consumers, Lava X80 is designed to offer next generation experience to consumers.  With this launch we aim to further empower people to explore and discover more through our reliable tablets portfolio.  As one of the leading players in the tablet category, we aspire to offer our customers a combination of technological and design excellence.”

Sporting a splendid 5MP primary and 3.2 MP Selfie camera, Lava X80 additionally features Auto Focus and LED Flash to give an unsurpassed photography experience. The tablet incorporates an onboard storage of 16GB ROM which is further expandable upto 32GB, thus allowing ample space for storing music, videos, pictures, applications and other important data. Featuring a powerful 4200 mAh battery, the tablet provides a long lasting usage on a single charge. Additionally, Lava X80 features a full HD (1080p) video playback and recording for a great audio-video experience.

The tablet offers manufacturer warranty for a year along with 6 months warranty for the in-box accessories which include battery, headset, charger and a USB Cable.

Oberoi Hotels & Resorts Voted World’s Best Hotel Brand for Second Consecutive Year

Oberoi Hotels and Resorts has been voted World’s Best Hotel Brand by Travel + Leisure, World’s Best Awards, 2016 for the second consecutive year.

These rankings are the result of a Readers’ Poll conducted by the magazine.  Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Awards are amongst the most prestigious in the travel industry as it is the readers who define excellence in hospitality and travel. Readers rate their experiences and evaluate hotels across the world on the following parameters – rooms and facilities, location, service, restaurants, food and value.

P.R.S. Oberoi, Executive Chairman, The Oberoi Group said, “I am very proud that Oberoi Hotels & Resorts have been voted the World’s Best Hotel Brand for the second consecutive year. The awards are an affirmation of The Oberoi Group’s unwavering commitment towards offering guests world-class facilities and unparalleled service. I dedicate the award to our people who are our biggest asset and who have worked passionately to ensure our guests receive warm, personalised and caring service”.

Nathan Lump, Editor at Travel + Leisure said, “It’s a pretty tough thing to be named the best hotel brand for the second consecutive year, but Oberoi Hotels and Resorts have made it to the top spot once again. Thanks not only to the properties of exceptional quality in picture-perfect locations, but also due to service standard that Travel + Leisure readers say go above and beyond."

Honeywell Awards Recognize Buildings that Excel in Energy Efficiency, Safety, Security and Productivity

Honeywell has announced the second edition of the Honeywell Smart Building Awards in India, calling for entries from across the country. Honeywell has partnered with the Network 18 Group (media partner) and KPMG (process validators and evaluators) to launch the Network 18 & Honeywell Smart Building Awards 2016.

Participation in the competition is open to all building owners and facility managers across India who agree to be evaluated under the parameters of the Honeywell Smart Building Score, a global building assessment framework. Participants will take a self-assessment of 15 technology asset groups that make a building green, safe, and productive, based on their building systems’ overall capability, coverage of the facility and uptime.

The scores will be validated by KPMG and affirmed by an eminent jury composed of India’s leading authorities on energy efficiency, safety, security, and productivity in buildings.

“We are glad that the concept of smart building technologies is evolving and is being adopted across commercial and residential spaces. With Honeywell’s shared vision with the Government of India’s 100 Smart Cities initiative, Honeywell Smart Building Score and Honeywell Smart Building Awards strive to deliver measurable results and to give recognition to the  buildings that drive green, safe, and productive outcomes,” said Anant Maheshwari, president, Honeywell India.

Honeywell successfully launched the Honeywell Smart Building Score in India in June 2015, a first-of-its-kind global tool to measure a building’s smartness. The tool was subsequently launched in six countries across the United States, China and the Middle East. Among the tool’s measures:

·         The Green asset group measures the environmentally sustainable components of a building. It  includes a building’s use of energy sources, utility sources, temperature control, energy control, and utility control, all of which impact carbon emissions, a facility’s environmental footprint, and utility costs for the building occupant or user.

·         The Safe asset group measures the safeguards for the building, its occupants, users and owners. It includes people, vehicle and material security, fire safety, gas safety, worker safety, and disaster response systems.

·         The Productive asset group measures enhanced comfort and productivity for users and owners. It includes technologies that help boost productivity include indoor air and water quality sensors, people, vehicle and material circulation, personalization, connectivity, and energy quality. 

Honeywell is uniquely positioned with the broadest technology solutions portfolio that serve buildings to support India’s 100 Smart Cities vision, and is already working on several significant projects, including Bhubaneshwar in Odisha, Aurangabad in Maharashtra, Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh, and an 11-city project in a large central state.

Toyota Kirloskar Motor Steps In to Curtail Carbon Footprint in the City; Reforestation Drive at the Bannerghatta National Park

Toyota Kirloskar Motor, in pursuance of its strong commitment towards ensuring balance in environment, organized a reforestation drive at the Bannerghatta National Park. Toyota gives top priority to environment management and is working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at all stages of vehicle life cycle, including development, design, production, logistics and sales as well as in all business areas.

The event witnessed participation from 600 TKM employees with their family, along with 150 students from Delhi Public School, Bangalore South, and 100 members from the Karnataka Forest Department. About 500 saplings were planted by the members who participated in the noble cause to spread awareness on conservation of native ecosystem and contribute towards reducing the carbon footprint. A fully grown tree can roughly sequester 20kg of CO2 per year and generates about 118 kgs of oxygen per year. Human being  uses about 550 litres of pure oxygen per day. A single mature tree can release enough oxygen to support 2 human beings.  Planting trees and restoring the green is one of the most effective means to reduce carbon emissions. Sunil Panwar, Deputy Conservator of Forests, Karnataka Forest Department, Bannerghatta National Park, Raju B Ketkale, Senior Vice President, Toyota Kirloskar Motor and Manju Sharma, Principal Delhi Public School, Bangalore South, were the dignitaries present at the afforestation drive.

Toyota Kirloskar Motor initiated a large scale afforestation drive in the year 2009 by planting 36000 saplings in a single day involving all its stakeholders to develop a greenbelt within its boundaries. TKM has planted around 2,65,000 saplings involving team members with the unique Japanese Miyawaki method. The plant at Bidadi has been designed in line with the Eco factory concept at Toyota.  The company has undertaken unique environment friendly initiatives in the manufacturing facility like water based painting to reduce VOC emissions, low CO2 footprint technologies like Servo machines, vermi-composting for waste minimization, biogas plant to reduce LPG usage and rain water harvesting to reduce fresh water consumption.  The water recycling & rainwater harvesting efforts at TKM manufacturing unit ensure least dependence on Freshwater/River water ensuring sustainable community.  The rainwater harvesting structure with a storage capacity of 25000 m3 was constructed, which has helped in saving consumption of 60000 m3 of freshwater last year.  Moreover, through consistent efforts TKM has achieved a reduction of 8000 tons of CO2 compared to last year.

Toyota has decided to challenge itself to reduce vehicle CO₂ emissions to ZERO in comparison with 2010 levels, by 2050. From fuel efficient vehicle to developing ground breaking technology, TKM focuses on environmentally sustainable solutions in every business operation and every vehicle that is manufactured. Toyota also works towards increasing Hybrid vehicles in India. Hybrid technology is one of the finest examples of green future which minimizes the usage of existing exhaustible resources. The company boasts of a rich lineage of over 15 years in hybrid with over 8 million hybrid cars across the globe.

According to a recent analysis done by the Centre for Ecological Studies at the Indian Institute of Science, in the last 40 years Bangalore has seen a phenomenal increase of 625% in built up area and the vegetation of the city has seen a decline of an alarming 78%.  The rapid urbanization has led to the alarming depletion of green cover in the city which as has resulted in human-wildlife conflict and dangerous levels of toxic matter in the atmosphere.

Raju B Ketkale, Senior Vice President, Toyota Kirloskar Motor said “Environment Conservation is inherent in the Toyota culture. We have been constantly investing our efforts to establish a society where human and nature coexist in harmony. With the rise in global warming and the impending environmental pollution increasing day by day, it is not just imperative to create necessary awareness, at the same time, one needs to action out measures like these, along with the involvement of the community. He also went on to stress the importance of conservation of biodiversity stating that “during the evolution of earth, species like plants, insects, animals inhabited the earth much before the humans did. We humans have only evolved at a much later stage however, we have been responsible for destruction of most of the life forms for our selfish needs.” In addition to creating awareness, we also involve our employees physically in afforestation drives, environment month promotion and other Eco CSR activities with an intent to bring a sense of ownership towards the environment”

Speaking on the occasion Sunil Panwar, Deputy Conservator of Forests, stressed on the importance of reforestation to avoid human animal conflicts which is prevalent currently around the sprawling Bannerghatta forest reserve. He went on to say “As human populations expand and natural habitats shrink, people and animals are increasingly coming into conflict over living space and food”. Further he said “People lose their crops, livestock, property, and sometimes their lives. The animals, many of which are already threatened or endangered, are often killed in retaliation or to 'prevent' future conflicts”. He emphasized that public must join hands with the forest department to save and preserve the biodiversity that we are left with”