Sepang F1 Petronas Grand Prix Tickets Now Priced at Only US$150

Calling all F1 and motorsports fans! The 2017 Formula 1 Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix returns for its penultimate edition in Sepang before Malaysia takes a break from hosting after 2018. The 19th edition of the race in Malaysia will be held from September 29 to October 1, 2017. Coming right after the Singapore Grand Prix happening two weeks prior, the race offers a unique double F1 treat in Southeast Asia. The Shell Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix 2017 returns on October 27 to 29, 2017, again as the penultimate race in the MotoGP calendar, 4 weeks after the Malaysia F1 Grand Prix.

To encourage more fans to seize the opportunity to watch the race live, Sepang International Circuit (SIC) and Malaysia Airlines are offering special attractive airfares starting at Rs 43,999 and F1 Malaysia Grand Prix tickets at unprecedented prices from now until the race from September 29 to October 1, 2017. “In recent years, we have seen fans opting to skip the live race experience in Sepang, with high ticket prices among the reasons for doing so. This year, in an unprecedented strategy, SIC is offering flat rates for the Main Grandstands and significantly lower ticket prices at other areas. In the past years, maintaining strong spectator numbers has sometimes been a challenge, so we hope this new pricing structure will enable all fans to watch the race live from the circuit,” said Dato’ Razlan Razali, Chief Executive Officer of SIC.

Tourism Malaysia and SIC have announced special travel packages for the race season in collaboration with selected agents at Bengaluru and SriLanka with the support of Travel Agents Associations so that fans get the best out of their trip in Malaysia. “We welcome our Indian tourists to be part of the excitement by catching a host of events leading up to the race. The family-oriented activities surrounding the F1 Malaysia Grand Prix make the race weekend a great time for a family outing. Fans of all ages can enjoy more than just a race with one-ticket access. There are promotions aplenty, as well as access to all pre-event and post-event activities, attractive merchandise at discounted prices and much more”, said Noor Azman Samsudin, Director (South India and Sri Lanka).  

Standard ticket prices for the 2017 Formula 1 PETRONAS Malaysia Grand Prix range from RM58.68 for a Hillstand K2 ticket to RM613.68 for a Main Grandstand ticket making this the most affordable F1 race in the world! This year, it will be free seating on a first come first served basis at the Main Grandstand, F Grandstand and K1 Grandstand areas. With no numbered seating, spectators will be able to move about within the respective grandstand areas during race weekend. Tickets for children aged 12 and below are available at 50% off the corresponding adult ticket prices, while children below 7 years old may enter for free, but they will not be allocated a seat without a ticket. Meanwhile, all fans with disabilities can purchase special tickets for Main Grandstand seating at RM308.43.

New Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull Racing Team Tribune packages with numbered seating are also available at RM1,335.18. All Tribune ticket holders will also receive special team merchandise.

With its distinctive 15 turns and 8 straights coupled with Malaysia’s notoriously humid weather and torrential storms, the track in Sepang has challenged many of the world’s best F1 drivers. The circuit’s design also offers great views from the spectator seats, which will be further enhanced for Main Grandstand ticket holders, as they are now allowed to move about within the Main Grandstand zone.

This year, similar to 2016, the race is scheduled closer to the end of the season as the 15th race in a 20-race calendar, right after the Singapore Grand Prix. International fans with a penchant for tropical holidays can also take the opportunity to enjoy Malaysia’s year-long equatorial climate by combining their race weekend experience with a tropical getaway in beautiful Malaysia.

RVCE & Cisco Launch Centre of Excellence In Internet of Things

RV College of Engineering (RVCE) and Cisco today announced the launch of a Centre of Excellence (CoE) fin Internet of Things (IoT) to give the next generation of students the digital skills and training necessary for 21st century jobs.

The CoE, located at the RVCE campus in Bengaluru, was inaugurated by Gaurav Gupta, IAS Principal Secretary, Department of IT, BT and SnT, Govt of Karnataka, along with Mr. VC Gopalratnam, SVP-IT and CIO - International, Cisco. Over the next five years, the Centre will provide a specialized curriculum preparing up to 10,000 students from 50 colleges across Karnataka for careers in the digital economy and help India increase its pool of highly skilled technology professionals. The Centre will also support the training and reskilling of mid-career professionals in the private and government sector.

In line with its mission to create excellence in education with societal commitment, RVCE faculty will work to inspire and educate thousands of students and working professionals and sharpen their skills to prepare them for technology based careers. The specialised curriculum will comprise live and video-based learning and involve the application of technologies to real issues in collaboration with local industry and government bodies. Experts from RVCE will complement this curriculum and deliver training on digitisation and IoT and encourage innovation in industries including transportation, energy, agriculture and manufacturing.

The Centre will offer several technology courses ranging from one to four weeks to six months to a year tailored to suit the requirement of students and working professionals. Short-term courses will be available on weekends and evenings during the week. On completion of the course, students and working professionals will receive credential certificates jointly given by RVCE and Cisco.

India is the youngest start-up and developer nation in the world, with 72% of the founders less than 35 years old and the average developer less than 29 years old. India is projected to have the world's largest number of developers by 2018.

“Bengaluru is home to India’s innovation and entrepreneurial engine. With the Centre of Excellence here, we’re giving students and working professionals across the state access to the skills and training to help them create startups and build successful technology careers,” said Mr. VC Gopalratnam, SVP-IT and CIO – International, Cisco. “I believe that India's entrepreneurial spirit, highly skilled workforce and supportive government will accelerate the country's digital transformation. We are thrilled to work with RVCE and the government of Karnataka to launch a generation of problem solvers who will innovate, think like entrepreneurs and lead in a Digital India.”

Dr. K N Subramanya, Principal, RVCE said: “We are honoured to work with Cisco in establishing the Centre of Excellence in Internet of Things. The Centre will shape the careers of thousands of students through our stellar faculty, specialised curriculum and quality infrastructure. RVCE has long been committed to creating educational excellence and a better society, and today’s announcement is an amplification of our efforts to bring world-class skills and training to talent anywhere in the state.”

All-New Whirlpool 3D Cool Inverter ACs Now Available Across India

Whirlpool of India, a subsidiary of Whirlpool Corporation and World’s leading home appliance company, has announced the launch of its most innovative range of Air Conditioners in the Indian market. The new lineup of ACs includes Whirlpool 3D cool Inverter range and Fantasia Inverter, which are at par with the 2018 Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) norms. Whirlpool has also launched its new Magicool AC 5 star range to make energy efficient products available to consumer at entry price points. Whirlpool’s 3D Cool range has been designed keeping in mind the extreme humid conditions in India and the capability to perform during temperature of 52-55 degrees C.

Adding wings to its smart features is the 6^th Sense Intellicomfort technology which is embedded with a Smart Intuitive Logic Chip and makes sure that the indoor unit senses the ambient humidity. It is also responsible for communicating with the outdoor unit to modify and adapt the AC operations, thus, resulting in faster cooling and energy savings. The new 3D cool technology is efficient enough to deliver its best even during the extreme weather conditions while delivering energy savings.

According to Kapil Agarwal, Vice President, Marketing at Whirlpool of India, “The Indian market is adapting well to the concept of Inverter ACs. Taking cognizance of this, we have introduced our new range that comes with stabilizer free options and smart voltage compensation logic which can modify operations to perform under wider voltage range of 155V- 264V. We have put our engineering expertise of over 100 years into Air Conditioners to get the best technology in the entire world. During summers, when temperature soars as high as 55 degree Celsius especially in northern parts of India, our ACs with in-built 3D cool technology can take charge and are capable of controlling humidity and providing faster cooling results while saving energy up to 40% and are smarter than just inverter ACs”. The revolutionary range of smart ACs are priced between Rs. 39000 - Rs. 52000 and has up to 10 years of free warranty on compressors.

3D Cool ACs - 3D Cool ACs comes with a powerful performance which works even in the high temperature of up to 55⁰C of temperature. The range offers 3 variants; 3 D cool inverter AC, 3 D cool Xtreme AC and 3D cool AC.

3D Cool Inverter ACs has 6^th Sense Intellicomfort technology that can sense humidity and its 3D Cool Technology can calibrate its inverter compressor as per humidity levels to ensure up to 27% of energy savings. Its superior temperature control feature enables the 3D Cool Inverter compressor to reach the target temperature, 40% faster in comparison to other inverter ACs. Not only this, its intuitive logic chip has been designed to adapt to any temperature conditions and give maximum cooling results even at 55 degrees of temperature. The Smart Voltage Compensation Logic modifies operations to perform under wider voltage range of 155V-264V.  It comes with 50% effective HD Filters to assure longer life of AC.

3D Cool Xtreme AC and 3D cool AC from Whirlpool comes with 6^thsense technology and in-built smart intuitive chip, which makes sure that the indoor unit, senses the ambient humidity and communicates with the outdoor unit to modify and adapt AC operations ensuring  faster cooling.3D cool Xtreme AC also has a dual fan compressor technology enabling operations upto 55*C. Both the variants come with advanced 4-in-1 filter with Anion shield that can remove 99% of harmful PM 2.5 Pollutants, which ensures removal of allergens and bacteria in air.

Fantasia - Adding to the new range of lineups is the Fantasia Inverter AC and Fantasia hot and cold ACs. Fantasia inverter AC’s, 6^th sense inverter technology continuously monitors the room temperature and regulates the cooling to ensure optimum comfort. It also has a HD Filter which is designed to be 50% more effective than normal filters.It comes with smart voltage compensation logic which modifies operations to perform under a wider voltage range of 155V-264.

Fantasia Hot and Cold AChas been designed to work during both summers and winters. Its 6th sense technology continuously calibrates the temperature of the air flow with its dynamic heat system to ensure comfortable heating in winters and quick cooling in summers. It comes with a 100% copper Condenser (Copper connecting kit) and a silent sleep mode for comfortable sleeping. The complete range has been inspired by the World Series design which can add a touch of class to any room by quietly blending with the décor.

MagiCoo - Third in line is Whirlpool’s MagiCool Split and Window ACs. Both the AC comes with Advance MPFITechnology which uses a unique circuit design for a rapid heat exchange and results in Turbo cooling capacity andhigher power savings.MagiCool split ACshas 6^th Sense Fast Cool Technology which provides instant and uniform cooling when AC is switched on. The 5 star range of MagiCool AC can efficiently save more energy without compromising on cooling. It comes in 4 sleep modes and 5 year warranty on the compressor.

MagiCool window AC comes with the advantage of enhanced energy savings. Its 6^th Sense, Energy saver technology automatically adjusts cooling depending on the room temperature. It also has a Self Diagnosis feature, which can monitor and self- diagnose any malfunction. It also monitors the room temperature and maintains the optimum level of cooling to ensure good sleep.

Hyderabad Becomes India’s First GIGA City; City Browses on 1GB Broadband Internet Speed and Beyond...

ACT Fibernet, India’s largest non-telco and 3^rd largest Internet Service Provider has announced the launch of 1Gbps (Giga speeds) wired broadband internet service for the city of Hyderabad. Launched in the presence of K. Taraka Rama Rao, Minister for IT, Municipal Administration and Urban Development and Industries (MAUD), ACT Fibernet is the first player in the Indian internet market to GIGA enable an entire Indian city.

Riding on the strength of being the largest non-telco ISP, ACT Fibernet has the best global fiber optic technology and is now bringing world class experience with futuristic speeds to Indian consumers.

When the average internet speeds in India is 2.5 Mbps, ACT Fibernet’s 1 Gbps launch will leapfrog Hyderabad internet speeds to 400x national average.  Very few cities across the world can boast as being ‘Giga enabled’, certainly not at this scale.  This launch places Hyderabad in league of select cities in the world that can boast of such futuristic technology. Giga speeds will allow downloads from the internet faster than transferring data from a USB drive.

ACT Fibernet is the largest broadband provider in twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad with over 65% market share. Growing at an incredible rate, ACT Fibernet is known to be a speed pioneer in the broadband industry; this launch will not only provide internet connections at incredibly high speeds, but will disrupt and lead technological growth in the country. 

Speaking on the launch Bala Malladi, CEO, ACT Fibernet said, “With our citizens and the government moving towards the Digital India movement, high speed internet is the need of the hour. With the launch of our 1 Gbps broadband internet service, it gives me immense pride to turn this dream into reality. The city of Hyderabad is apt for our maiden launch as it has some of the best technology brands, educational institutions and a vibrant economy.”

Malladi further added, “We are confident this product will transform the way internet is now being consumed at large and this will fast track the government’s newest target to connect all its 23 million Telangana residents through the Internet by 2018”.

Speaking at the launch, Minister for IT, Municipal Administration and Urban development and Industries, K. Taraka Rama Rao said, “I am extremely pleased to be present here and witness the historic launch of 1Gbps broadband internet service for an entire city in the country. It is my vision to connect our residents through high speed internet and I am sure this product from ACT Fibernet will further help fulfil my vision of making Telangana a tech and digitally advanced hub.”

India is the second largest market globally with internet connectivity reaching over 400 million people.  With the government’s constant and fervent efforts to internet enable cities, internet penetration is set to reach over 600 million users by 2020. Additionally, the government’s recent announcement to boost high-speed broadband via optic Fiber to 1,50,000 gram Panchayats will further receive support through initiatives such as ACT Fibernet’s and its contribution to the country’s digital growth.

ACT Fibernet’s 1 Gbps wired internet service is slated to soon be available in the 11 cities the company has presence in. The product is currently available in Hyderabad for Rs 5999 per month, 1 Gbps , 1TB FUP. 

Infosys Joins the 2000 Member Open Invention Network Community

Open Invention Network (OIN), the largest patent non-aggression community in history with well over 2000 members, announced that Infosys has joined OIN as a community member.  As a leading IT services provider, and one of the most admired companies in India, Infosys believes that open source software (OSS) is a necessary enabler as enterprises worldwide use the Internet to build new consumer-centric and connected applications. 

“We are pleased to have a premier global IT services firm, like Infosys, join the OIN community,” said Keith Bergelt, CEO of Open Invention Network. “We appreciate Infosys’s leadership in joining OIN, and believe that those that look to the company for inspiration, both in and outside of India, will see the wisdom it has demonstrated by supporting patent non-aggression in Linux and adjacent open source technologies.”

“Open source software has become the primary engine of innovation, and should now be viewed as the key building block of all modern enterprise architectures. Innovation in areas like cloud computing, big data, artificial intelligence, DevOps and modern web frameworks are all happening in the open source ecosystem, and the adoption of these technologies in enterprises is benefiting from the foundation of Linux that enterprise IT departments have already invested in.  Infosys is actively taking open source, and open source based products, to all our enterprise customers, and so we are extremely excited to become part of OIN, and we encourage others to join OIN as well to support this very important initiative.” said Navin Budhiraja, SVP - Head – Architecture and Technology, Infosys.

OIN’s community practices patent non-aggression in core Linux and adjacent open source technologies by cross-licensing Linux System patents to one another on a royalty-free basis. Patents owned by Open Invention Network are similarly licensed royalty-free to any organization that agrees not to assert its patents against the Linux System.  

ALTBalaji, MobiKwik Announce Payment Wallet Platform Integration

ALTBalaji, the digital platform of Balalji Telefilms Limited announces partnership withmobile wallet major MobiKwik. The global OTT entertainment platform ALTBalaji, will offer 250 hours of original content and subscribers can now avail 25% cashback while paying for the service using MobiKwik wallet. The partnership will provide an easy payment facility to MobiKwik’s 55 million registered users to enjoy ALTBalaji.

Speaking on the announcement, Nachiket Pantvaidya, CEO of ALT Digital Media Entertainment Limited said, “With a vision to create a better consumer experience, the partnership with MobiKwik will facilitate frictionless connection between our subscribers and ALTBalaji. This convenient payment option will allow our consumers to subscribe to our original and exclusive content with ease. We are glad that MobiKwik which is a pioneer in the wallets business will open a new consumer base to our service.”

Bikram Bir Singh, Business Head at MobiKwik said, “We are glad to partner with ALTBalaji and extend our digital payment services to their subscribers. This association is in line with our endeavor to make MobiKwik payments ubiquitous.”

MobiKwik also powers payments for the IRCTC service and can target the users based on the long-distance rail tickets that they have purchased, allowing ALTBalaji to offer the service to these customers who are otherwise starved of entertainment or must consume the same content available elsewhere. ALTBalaji, the subscription based digital entertainment platform will be commercially available from mid-April. Created to provide an alternative to mainstream Indian entertainment and TV content, ALTBalaji will bring fresh and interesting stories to audiences in varied genres. The platform will offer original content of 250 hours in the first year of its launch.

ALTBalaji app will be launched with 6 new shows and will be followed with a new show every 15 days for its viewers to binge watch. The content is created by some of the best talent of Indian Entertainment industry including critically acclaimed directors and actors. The long illustrious list of artists comprises of Nagesh Kukunoor, Juhi Chawla, Nimrat Kaur, Rajkumar Rao, Hansal Mehta, Sakshi Tanwar, Ram Kapoor, Atul Kulkarni, Sameer Soni, Yudhishtar Urs, Dipannita Sharma Atwal, and more.

Siemens Home Appliances Opens Corporate Showroom in Bangalore

Siemens Home Appliances, Germany’s number one brand and Europe’s market leader in built-in kitchen appliances, has inaugurated their 2^nd corporate showroom in India at J.P Nagar, Bangalore After receiving an applauding response from the corporate showroom in Mumbai, Siemens Home Appliances expanded its experiential offering to the tech hub of the country. The exclusive 726sqft. Corporate showroom has a lot to offer as it will showcase its high-end built-in appliances like Combination Microwave, Microwave, Induction Hob, Island Hood along with Dishwasher and Refrigerator. All these products will be live and one can come and experience their features and best in class technology before making a purchasing decision. The store is located at opposite Renault Showroom, Bangalore allowing the customers to try the live products before buying them.

Commenting on this exclusive showroom expansion, Gunjan Srivastava, MD and CEO, BSH Household Appliances Manufacturing Pvt. Ltd. said, “Siemens has seen a phenomenal growth in India since our entry in 1997 and has continued to deliver an ace lifestyle to the Indian audience. Experience always speaks for itself and hence we believe that an experiential showroom will help reinforcing our brand quality and value among customers. South has been a key market for us, Bangalore being the silicon valley of India, the showroom launch we aim to increase the accessibility to innovative appliances.

The Siemens corporate showroom will offer an array of products in the built-in and free standing category that would define the ultimate in lifestyle for customers in Bangalore. They provide a full range of premium products and services with an integrated solution. The flexible fitting and the cutting-edge design of Siemens built-in appliances, provide easy integration with the kitchen furniture and home architecture. The free-standing products have built-in intelligence which ensures it saves energy, reduces input and maximizes output. Siemens has always been a pioneer in innovation, design and technology for which it has been bestowed with various international awards. All the Siemens products involve detailed research and testing right from its conceptualization to manufacturing and thus ensure complete customer satisfaction. The products are a combination of superior technology with visually aesthetic designs.

The Siemens showroom is at No.- 8, Ground and Mazzanine floor, 15^th cross, 6^th phase JP Nagar, Diagonal opposite to Renault showroom, Bangalore- 560078, Karnataka.

Siemens Home Appliances is renowned for constantly taking up technological challenges and enthused by developing forward-looking products, solutions and services. It combines the latest technology with improved functionality that results in pioneering products and solutions into benefits its customers can see and experience. Setting these benchmarks in the market, Siemens products cater to the most demanding and wide-ranging aspirations of a modern lifestyle. These superior standards are a result of Siemens’ decade’s long experience in manufacturing home appliances, ensuring that its products meet the most specific customer requirements.