Standard Chartered Bank has announced the launch of its retail digital banking initiatives which will empower customers to avail of a seamless digital experience across various banking services - from opening accounts real time to interacting digitally with relationship managers (RMs). The Bank today launched the instant digital account opening capability which enables customers to instantly open a savings account using their AADHAR details through online or mobile interfaces.
Launching a suite of digital banking capabilities, the Bank announced that customers can now also make investments in mutual funds and initiate payments through Unified Payment Interface (UPI) and Bharat QR. Additionally, customers can chat online for their service requests and Priority and Premium Banking clients can seek advice or resolutions much quicker through video conferencing with RMs.
The banking landscape is changing rapidly with digital platforms becoming a dominant form of interaction between banks and their clients. Consumers, particularly millennials, expect banking services to be faster and seamless on the back of smart digital interfaces. The launch will help the Bank take its rich product-suite to the young and emerging affluent customers, even as it reinforces its strong position with the affluent audience.
To create a strong connect with this ever increasing young working audience, the Bank is bringing on board actor Anushka Sharma as its brand ambassador. Anushka, as one of India’s top actors and youth icon, personifies the affluent youth and their upwardly mobile aspirations while representing the values and ethos of the Bank.
Speaking on the occasion, Zarin Daruwala, CEO, India, Standard Chartered Bank, said, “Recognising the rapid adoption of technology in a young and aspirational India, we had embarked on a journey of Retail transformation, with the clear intent to use technology with a human touch, transforming the entire client experience; making it digitally capable and seamless, but keeping customer centricity at the core of all we do.
Today is an important milestone of this journey. We are launching a suite of digitally powered banking services across account opening, UPI transactions and virtual RMs and are delighted to partner with youth icon, Anushka Sharma on this. The freshness, positivity and ambition she reflects is a great match with our digital initiatives and our ambition to be the preferred digital bank for the youth,” Zarin Daruwala added.
Anushka Sharma said, “I am glad to partner with Standard Chartered - a Bank which combines great vintage of 160 years in India and the drive to stay contemporary and cutting-edge. I was impressed with the spirit of continuous digital innovation at Standard Chartered coexisting alongside great trust and solidity. As an artist, I strive to challenge myself through my choice of roles and the films I produce through my production house Clean Slate Films. The subtext of never settling in this campaign was the reason I identified with and became the brand ambassador for their products and services.”
Keys Hotels, part of the $2 billion Los Angeles-based Berggruen Group, has introduced an inimitable cricket-driven menu inspired by the on-going cricket season. So for those ardent fans who cannot make it to the stadium; Keys Hotels have got you covered.
This unique menu comprises fun food items such as Cheesy Over, Clean Bowled Mushrooms, Full Toss Bruschetta, Chicken Timeout, Royal Gosht ki Shami, Spice Riders Chicken, “MAHI” Tikka Matwala, Kings Basket (Assorted Fries), Challengers Potato Chilli, and many more mouthwatering selections to choose from. Enticing deals such as Hattrick (3 draught beers for Rs.550), Super Six Beer Bucket for Rs.800, Short Pitch for Rs.399 (3 shots of Kamikaze or Mojito) Five Wicket Haul for Rs.966 (5 pints and a starter) and a lot more will be available across Keys Hotels in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Ludhiana, Pune (Pimpri), Mahabaleshwar, Port Blair and Goa.
Sharing the enthusiasm, Corporate Chef Manish Kusumwal said, “Cricket is an unrivalled religion in India with the widest number of adherents. Therefore we have thoughtfully designed the menu to keep the spirit of game and fun quotient high. Our guests will have a great time enjoying the delicious food and sporty atmosphere at their favorite Keys Café.”
Acer has announces that thirteen of its products have been honored with the prestigious Red Dot Design Awards for design excellence. These wins come on the heels of Acer’s twelve wins at the recent iF Design Award 2018. This year, with industry-leading innovations such as the Swift 7, the world’s thinnest notebook[1], and the Acer Chromebook Tab 10, the first Chrome OS tablet for education, the Red Dot award-winning Acer products cover a broad range of categories, ranging from notebooks, desktops, headsets, monitors, to projectors. This exemplifies Acer’s commitment to making outstanding design an integral consideration for the user experience, regardless of product type and price point.
“We are thrilled that thirteen of Acer’s products have been endowed with such a prestigious honor, and equally excited that so many of our product categories are represented among the winners” said Tiffany Huang, President of Corporate Marketing, Business Planning, and Operations at Acer. “Not only are we motivated by our mission to make technology accessible to as many people as possible, but also to provide exceptional experiences via user-centric designs and functionalities on all classes of devices.”
Acer’s Red Dot Design Award 2018 winners are as follows:
Predator Triton 700 Gaming Notebook
The iF Design Award 2018-winning notebook’s svelte 18.9 mm (0.74 inch) thin, 2.45 kg (5.4 pound) aluminum chassis houses a 15.6-inch Full HD IPS display and best-in-class computing technologies for just the right balance of size and performance without sacrificing thermals, features or rigidity. Its understated black chassis features a minimalist design, with straight contours and angular front corners.
Predator Galea 500 Gaming Headset
The Predator Galea 500 gaming headset puts gamers right inside the game, giving them the ability to hear and not just see the exact location of elements within the game. It achieves this with Acer’s TrueHarmony 3D Soundscape technology, and recreates the acoustic space based on the orientation of the player’s head, convincing the brain that sound is coming from a fixed direction.
Acer Swift 5 Notebook
The Swift 5 is designed for users who want superb portability, solid performance, and a touch of style. The elegant chassis weighs just 970 g making it ideal for people always on the go. A sophisticated selection of materials include ultra-light magnesium-lithium alloys for the top and bottom covers, and magnesium-aluminum alloys for extra sturdiness on the palm rest area.
Acer Spin 5 Convertible Notebook
The Acer Spin 5 features a major breakthrough in design, namely its speakers. In the past, speakers found on convertible notebooks were easily obstructed while in certain usage modes. Acer overcame this with a practical design that ensures the speakers are never obstructed in any of the device’s four modes to ensure uncompromised audio.
Acer Swift 7 Notebook
At just 8.98 mm thin the Acer Swift 7 is the world’s thinnest laptop. The premium aluminum unibody is pleasing to the eye and gentle to touch, perfect for modern professionals seeking a sophisticated looking device. It has built-in, blazing-fast 4G LTE connectivity which keeps users productive and always-connected, especially useful for professionals who wish to eliminate tedious wireless connection problems on the road so they can stay focused on the task at hand.
Acer Nitro 5 Gaming Notebook
Built for the casual gamer, the Acer Nitro 5 features a striking design that lets them stand out from the crowd. It sports a mysterious black carbon fiber laser-engraved pattern combined with a menacing red hinge that evokes the spirit of gaming, while also offering outstanding rigidity.
Acer Chromebox CXI3
With solid performance powered by up to 8th Gen Intel® Core processors, the Acer Chromebox CXI3 is a great choice for desktop scenarios in computer labs and libraries. The Acer Chromebox CXI3 features a compact design that fits neatly into all sorts of environments, and can be placed freestanding with the included stand, or secured to the back of the monitor with an optional VESA mounting kit.
Acer Chromebook Tab 10
Designed for education, the Acer Chromebook Tab 10 will be used in K-12 classrooms to expand and enhance student learning by bringing the speed, simplicity and security of Chrome OS into the tablet form factor. It will support augmented reality in the future to allow students to experience new ways of learning with Expeditions AR. Expeditions AR is Google’s augmented reality technology that maps the classroom and places 3D objects in it for students to study, making subjects such as biology, geography and astronomy easier to comprehend.
Acer Veriton N Series Desktop
The newest generation of Acer Veriton N modular desktops feature a space-saving, customizable mini PC designed that allows the addition of 1 liter module add-ons for M.2 SSDs, ODDs, HDDs, I/O ports, card readers and graphic cards for easy tool-less expansion and upgradability.
Acer Nitro RG0 Series Gaming Monitor
The Acer RG0 series gaming monitor is small in form, but big on gaming. The Full HD monitor features an incredibly slim 7 mm profile and is designed to enhance the gaming experience with a ZeroFrame design that maximizes its viewable screen area, Radeon Freesync technology, vivid IPS panel and 1 ms MPRT.
Acer Nitro VG0 Series Gaming Monitor
The Acer VG0 series gaming monitor is an entry gaming monitor that offers a true-to-life color experience. It is able to do this with Radeon FreeSync and IPS technologies, while its ZeroFrame design further enhances the gaming experience by maximizing the viewable screen area. The display sits atop of a sharply-cut three-pronged stand that exudes gaming.
Acer VL7860 Projector
The Acer VL7860 projector raises the bar for home cinema entertainment with laser image quality. It is equipped with an innovative laser diode that provides 3,000 lumens brightness and 4K UHD (3,840 x 2,160) resolution with 8.3-megapixel on-screen display. The VL7860 features a compact design that allows it be easily set up in a wide range of environments.
Acer C200 Projector
The C200 LED projector features an amazingly compact (110 x 120 x 30 mm) and lightweight (350 g) form factor that makes it ideal for use outdoors, such as during camping or a day at the beach. With its built-in battery, the C200 can go just about anywhere. The C200 is also a handy tool for work on the go, especially when an impromptu presentation is required.
CleverTap, the advanced mobile marketing solutions provider, today announced that they will be participating at the Seamless Asia, 2018 event in Singapore. To be held at the Suntec Convention Centre on May 3-4, 2018, Seamless Asia promises to bring together the biggest names in the retail, e-commerce, and digital payments space from across the region - under one roof. Over 6,000 attendees, 150 exhibitors, and 200 speakers are slated to attend the event, as the future of a tech-driven and mobile-first Asia takes shape.
CleverTap will showcase the dynamic capabilities of its data-driven mobile marketing solution suite that empowers marketers to intelligently identify, segment, engage, monetize, and retain users across the entire app user lifecycle. In an extremely competitive ecommerce Southeast Asian market that continues to grow rapidly on the back increasing smartphone penetration, falling data charges, and rising popularity of online payments, building loyal segments of repeat users across both web and app is extremely challenging.
Highlighting the pressing need and underlying significance of an advanced mobile marketing approach relevant to the ecommerce industry, Anand Jain, Co-founder of CleverTap will also be speaking at the event on May 3 at 10.30AM SGT.
“We are excited to be a part of Seamless Asia, 2018. Our dynamic platform can enable web and app businesses to address diverse use cases that help them eventually drive greater user engagement and retention”, said Anand. He further elaborated, “Southeast Asia is an extremely promising market. We believe that our cutting-edge marketing automation solutions will empower marketers to not just drive top-line revenues, but also contribute towards the socio-economic growth in the region. We look forward to interacting with some of the brightest minds in the business and share our own insights at Seamless Asia, 2018.”
Today, marketers need to embrace the power of AI/ML-driven omnichannel marketing that accounts for user-level behavioral, geographic, and smart device-specific information. This lays the foundation for delivering hyper-personalized, contextual, and timely interactions across channels such as push notifications, in-app messages, email, and/or SMS. Delivering differentiated and satisfactory user experiences at scale help brands create long-term customer relationships.
CleverTap has offices in San Francisco, Mumbai, New York, Los Angeles, London, and Bangalore.
Toyota Kirloskar Motor has announced the opening of pre-launch bookings for the highly anticipated Toyota Yaris. Designed to be as Advanced as it is Prestigious, the world-class sedan has garnered much appreciation ever since it’s unveiling at Auto Expo 2018.
Customers can make their bookings at any of the authorized Toyota dealerships across the country with deliveries beginning from May 2018. The Toyota Yaris comes at an Introductory price in the range of ₹ 8,75,000 to ₹14,07,000.
Toyota has decided to keep the prices same across the nation.
Marking Toyota’s entry into the mid-size sedan segment; Toyota Yaris promises to deliver the true Toyota experience with its unique presence and advanced functions for the discerning Indian customers. Toyota Yaris built on the Toyota philosophy of QDR (quality, durability & reliability) offering is loaded with a wide range of best in class features:
Safety:
· 7 SRS airbags (SRS D+P airbags, SRS side airbags, SRS Curtain Shield Airbags (CSA) and SRS knee airbag)
· Anti-Lock Braking System(ABS) with Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD)
· Tyre-Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
· Vehicle Stability Control
· Front & Rear Parking Sensors
· All 4-wheel Disc Brakes
Comfort:
· High Solar Energy Absorbing (HSEA), IR cut, Acoustic & Vibration Control Glass for Windshield & Doors for quieter cabin
· Power Driver Seat
· Roof mounted air vents with ambient illumination for rear passengers
· Adjustable Rear Centre Headrest
· 60:40 Split Rear Seats
· Smart Entry with Push Start
· Hand /Air Gesture controlled Infotainment system with Touch Screen Navigation
· Paddle Shift for CVT + Cruise Control
Design:
· LED Line Guide in Headlamp & Tail Lamps
· Piano Black Interiors
· Waterfall design Instrumental Panel
Speaking to the customers on this announcement, N Raja, Deputy Managing Director, Toyota Kirloskar Motor said, “Toyota Yaris has already won nationwide appreciation for its class-leading features, superior comfort, top-notch quality and excellent performance. We thank our customers for such a heartening and exciting welcome for Toyota’s debut in the B-High sedan segment in India. As a sedan with great individuality and intuitive functions for people who constantly seek for something better, we aim to offer quality that exceeds its class. We hope customers well accept the world class sedan Toyota Yaris for the value propositions it has to offer in the segment. Toyota Yaris will be on display across all Toyota dealerships in India and customers may book for the test drive immediately.”
The Yaris, which underpins Toyota’s presence in the Indian car market, will be offered in a 1.5L Dual VVTi Gasoline Engine with a 7 speed CVT (Continuous Variable Transmission) or 6 speed MT (Manual Transmission) options. Catering to the emerging need for automatics in the segment, the CVT option will be made available across all trims.
Prices will be same across the country at ex-showroom level, however the final on road price may vary based on local road tax and levies. Booking amount will be Rs 50,000.
The application of artificial intelligence (AI) in manufacturing could create EUR 60 bn in additional value for German industry. That is the conclusion of the study “The Ghost in the Machine: Artificial Intelligence in the Factory of the Future”, for which the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) surveyed manufacturing and technology managers from about 1100 industrial companies worldwide about their applications of and willingness to invest in AI. Almost 90 percent of executives say they aim to integrate AI in their processes in the next three years. Nonetheless, so far only 28 percent have created a clear strategy for AI in manufacturing. In Germany only 23 percent, or one in four German industrial companies, have developed an AI strategy.
“When it comes to AI, Germany only ranks around the middle of the pack internationally and is in danger of falling further behind. If German industrial companies want to maintain their leading international position, they must greatly increase the scale and speed of their commitment to new technologies and intelligent automation”, says Markus Lorenz, partner and head in machinery and automation at BCG.
While Germany is still planning, China is already optimizing
As the study shows, companies that already use AI in manufacturing, employ more agile working methods: they test prototypes at an earlier stage and are quicker to readjust their work processes.
The proportion of pioneers is highest in the USA (25 percent), China (23 percent) and India (19 percent). In Germany only about 15 percent of companies currently use AI to any significant extent in manufacturing.
“While most German executives are still wrestling with the basic question of whether and how to apply AI, businesses in China and India are already optimizing their smart factories”, observes the study's author Daniel Küpper, a BCG partner and global head of the firm’s Innovation Center for Operations (ICO). “Emerging market players show more courage when it comes to AI and they keep identifying opportunities to apply the new technologies and improve them on an ongoing basis.”
Ranking of the leading countries in terms of AI implementation
1. USA 25;
2 China 23;
3. India 19;
4 Canada 17;
5 Poland 16;
AI as a lever to increase productivity
The global sector comparison shows that the automotive and technology industries are at the forefront in applying artificial intelligence. One company in five has already integrated AI in their business in those sectors. At the other end of the scale are the pharmaceutical, medical technology, machine construction and process industry sectors. There, only about one in seven companies uses intelligent manufacturing systems.
“German machine construction in particular stands to gain a lot from artificial intelligence. It enables companies to harness the enormous amounts of data generated by manufacturing machines. This lays the foundation for new business models, making use of predictive maintenance and optimized operations”, says Markus Lorenz, partner and global head of consulting in machinery and automation at BCG.
Almost 70 percent of executives surveyed admit that their company lacks the AI skills to speed up the introduction of new technologies. That applies particularly to data management, analytics and programming. “Companies can no longer advance purely on the basis of their engineering knowledge. Employees have to know how to use AI”, says BCG partner Küpper. All the more reason for industrial companies to upgrade their employees’ skills in the basics of AI in manufacturing systems. “The opportunity for companies now lies in training their employees and attracting AI experts, for example in the field of Deep Learning“, says the study's author Küpper. “You need both to successfully integrate AI in your company: experts who know artificial intelligence and experienced staff who can identify beneficial avenues for its application.”
Atos, a global leader in digital transformation, has entered into a global agreement with Google Cloud to address the digital transformation needs of enterprise customers. This agreement will see the creation of secure solutions in areas including hybrid Cloud, data analytics & machine learning and the digital workplace.
Going beyond the traditional IT landscape, today’s data-centric digital transformation generates an ever-increasing need for data lakes, data management, analytics and cognitive technologies. Machine Learning (ML) is key to discovering and leveraging new business and marketing opportunities, but also demands secure solutions to protect data against cyber risks and ensure compliance.
Addressing this fast-growing demand, Atos is working with Google Cloud to provide businesses worldwide with secure cutting-edge solutions.
Secured Hybrid Cloud. Atos will develop and expand its Canopy Orchestrated Hybrid Cloud with Google Cloud Platform as Atos’ preferred public Cloud platform, leveraging its scale, security, reliability and availability while ensuring data localization. In addition, Atos will also take advantage of specific technology, such as container orchestration with Google Kubernetes Engine, to drive hybrid Cloud adoption in global enterprise organizations. The expanded Atos solution will also complement Google Cloud’s advanced and comprehensive set of security features with a multilayered defense approach delivering enhanced security to customers. The Atos platform will support clients in meeting access and control requirements that European and global regulations demand.
Data Analytics & Machine Learning. Atos will develop a machine learning practice that will leverage Google Cloud’s ML APIs to create industry specific solutions across multiple verticals.
Digital Workplace. Atos will develop a G Suite practice to further enrich its market leading Digital Workplace offering for enterprise customers. As a Cloud-native intelligent productivity and collaboration suite, G Suite is completely interoperable with other collaboration tools, and will enable Atos to further transform and automate the digital workplace and enhance user experience and productivity.
Thanks to these solutions, Atos will offer enterprises a fast and frictionless way to use Google Cloud technologies alongside their existing assets and processes, while at the same time leveraging data to create new insights and value for their own customers.
Three R&D Centers and Innovation Labs in France, UK and the US to help customers solve business challenges and innovate
To accelerate product availability for customers, Atos will establish three ML/AI customer innovation labs and R&D centers in France, UK and the US. Atos will leverage training from machine learning experts in Google Cloud’s Advanced Solutions Labs to bring the latest advancements in ML to their customers.
“I’m extremely pleased to announce today this first global partnership with Google Cloud, one of the world’s leaders in Artificial Intelligence. Together, we will enable fast and smooth adoption of AI for enterprises,” said Thierry Breton, Chairman and CEO of Atos. “By combining Atos integration capabilities and technology expertise with Google Cloud technology, we enable organizations to thrive in the most innovative and trusted environment, in compliance with global regulations. With this partnership, Atos becomes the “last mile” of the digital information chain.”
“We are excited to collaborate with Atos to bring Google Cloud to more companies,” said Diane Greene, CEO of Google Cloud. “Together with Atos we will allow companies to transform and improve their business by enabling access to the most advanced Cloud infrastructure, cutting-edge machine learning capabilities and intelligent collaboration tools.”
Starting today, Google Cloud will be Atos’ preferred public Cloud partner. The first phase of the global partnership will concentrate on working with Atos global customers. In parallel, Atos will open new innovation centers for future business transformation projects with its customers.
