TCL launches iFFALCON Smart TVs starting at Rs. 13,499 Powered by Android 7.0 Nougat in India

In a game-changing move which could potentially redefine how Indians consume new-age entertainment content, TCL Multimedia, one of the top-three TV manufacturers in the world, has launched its India-centric smart TV brand iFFALCON in the market through its exclusive association with Flipkart. TCL also showcased two stunning smart TV offerings, iFFALCON 55K2A powered by Android 7.0 Nougat and iFFALCON F2, at the grand event.

Through iFFALCON, TCL aims to upgrade the home entertainment experience for viewers across the country by giving them seamless access to their choice of entertainment, whether online or offline. Operating at the intersection of high-quality content, smart technology, and powerful hardware, iFFALCON provides the most fulfilling and enriching entertainment experience to its users by delivering the ultimate audio and visual spectacle.

Power, precision, performance for a matchless entertainment experience

What makes iFFALCON’s launch such a landmark development is how TCL has customised the cutting-edge, market-leading solutions of its smart TV sub-brand FFALCON for the Indian market. It also marks the first time a smart TV range equipped with Android 7.0 Nougat has been introduced in India. TCL’s renowned vertically-integrated manufacturing capabilities ensure that everything – from backlight and module to display, set, and panel – is produced in-house to meet and exceed global quality standards. This promise of superior quality is backed by the proven manufacturing prowess of TCL-owned CSOT Technology, a world-leading enterprise in display technology that ranks fifth globally for LCD panel shipments.

iFFALCON’s high-quality products are equipped with the latest technology and are supported by the strong background in global smart TV operations and service localisation of its parent company. Heavy investments into advanced technologies such as 5G, big data, and artificial intelligence made by TCL enable iFFALCON to provide users with direct access to personalised content. Through its robust partnerships with leading content providers such as Jio Digital, Netflix, Google Play Movies & TV,Youtube and ErosNow , Yupp TV, Flickree. iFFALCON also offers its customers with a rich and diversified content library for a more immersive entertainment experience. Its unique brand proposition is further augmented by its robust sales channel integration with Flipkart, one of India’s leading online marketplaces.

Speaking on the launch, Tony Guo, Global CEO – FFALCON Technology, said, “With the demand for smart home entertainment solutions in India growing at a rapid pace, the country’s smart TV market is in need for more technologically-evolved offerings. The launch of iFFALCON smart TVs will fulfil this need-gap. We are bringing the latest entertainment technology to India for fulfilling iFFALCON’s brand promise of enabling an ‘Incredible Smart Life’ for every customer.”

Harry Wu, GM – TCL Multimedia Overseas Business Center, said, “With iFFALCON, TCL is further strengthening its leadership position in the India market. Our long-term vision is to bring the latest entertainment technology to the Indian youth and become the go-to brand for smart products. The launch of iFFALCON will help us achieve this aim.”

Ajay Yadav, VP, Flipkart said "We are committed to bringing the best in class technology products for customers to constantly keep them excited. Our exclusive partnership with iFFalcon, by TCL, offers a range of TVs that ensure an immersive experience backed by the latest in entertainment and technology. We are confident TVs from TCL would be another best seller on Flipkart, while we continue to be India’s most trusted destination for TVs” "

The iFFALCON launch further strengthens TCL’s position as a leader in the smart consumer electronics domain, both in India and on a worldwide scale. The company is currently ranked no.3 in the LCD TV segment with 10.3% of the global market share. It surpassed its annual sales target in 2017 by selling more than 23 million TVs to register a year-on-year sales growth of 16.4%. TCL has also sustained its spectacular growth momentum in the Indian market as well, with its full-year sales volume in the country surging by 121.5% to cross 100k units. In 2017, TCL Multimedia’s turnover surpassed HK$40.00 billion for the first time in its history, hitting a historic high of HK$40.82 billion and representing a 22.4% year-on-year increase.

iFFALCON 55K2A: A 4K UHD Google-certified Android TV
What’s large-screen entertainment without ultra-high definition picture clarity? This seems to be the main thought behind iFFALCON 55K2A, the flagship offering from iFFALCON. The 4K UHD TV comes equipped with 3,840 x 2,160 pixels. By enabling an accurate reproduction of light and dark shades through HDR, iFFALCON 55K2A elevates the viewing experience to the next level.

iFFALCON 55K2A also comes equipped with Micro Dimming technology and revolutionary features such as white LED HD backlight – a landmark development in LED HD backlight technology which drastically enhances the colour gamut and provides more dynamic colour contrast. It also has Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound and advanced DTS post-processing technology to ensure sound quality which rivals a top-of-the-range stereo system. Its Smart Volume feature automatically adjusts the volume to eliminate sudden sound fluctuations typically experienced when switching channels or when television commercials air, while also automatically detecting the type of content you are watching – sports, news, movies, etc. – and adjusting the sound setting to it.

Powered by Android 7.0 Nougat, iFFALCON 55K2A offers multiple advanced features such as task switching, picture-in-picture, and in-built Google Chromecast to users. It also allows users to install apps from other devices through its multiple platform sync feature, in addition to enabling sign-ins from several Google accounts. Users also have the option of using Google Voice Search by simply pressing a button on their remotes and giving a voice input, thus eliminating the need for complicated navigation and tiresome typing. With a full suite of Google services customised for iFFALCON 55K2A, the Google-certified Android TV is poised to become a single-stop tech solution for fulfilling the varied entertainment requirements of the country’s growing and vibrant young consumer base.

iFFALCON 55K2A is powered by a powerful quad-core CPU and dual-core GPU, and has 2.56 GB RAM and 16 GB internal storage. The powerful processing that this enables allows for seamless and hassle-free multitasking, as well as instant power on within two seconds. While a 2.4 GHz+5GHz dual-band WiFi enables seamless online streaming, iFFALCON 55K2A also minimises power consumption. Entertainment apps such as Hotstar, YouTube, Netflix, YuppTV, Google Play Movies & TV, Eros Now, and Voot are available for download through the Google Play store on iFFALCON 55K2A, while JioCinema comes preinstalled with each set. This enables iFFALCON users to watch their choice of movies, shows, music, sports, videos, and more at a single place!

iFFALCON F2: A next-level viewing experience
Designed to heighten the entertainment experience of Indian viewers, iFFALCON F2 comes equipped with features like Full HD and Micro Dimming technology. The latest generation of iFFALCON LED HD backlight enhances the colour gamut and provides dynamic contrast.
And that’s not all! The latest version of the App Store on iFFALCON F2 provides a comprehensive range of downloadable content from over 500 applications ranging from video-on-demand, social, gaming, music, and photo sharing. It comes preinstalled with Netflix, one of the biggest online streaming platforms in the world. Adding yet more immersion to the mix, iFFALCON F2 has T-Cast, an integrated feature exclusive for iFFALCON TV which allows users to operate the TV via their smartphones.

iFFALCON F2 also comes with Dolby decoder and supports a variety of audio and video formats, including the latest coding system, from the antenna to the USB and other input channels such as H.264/MPEG4/MKV/AVI/MP4 video coding. Equipped with comprehensive safety features such as lightning protection, fast heat ventilation, and wide voltage range, it consumes significantly lower power and is moisture-proof. iFFALCON F2 comes in two configurations, the 40-inch variant 40F2 and the 32-inch variant 32F2.

Pricing and booking: iFFALCON’s first three models will be available for purchase from May 7. iFFALCON 55K2A will be available at Rs 45,999, while iFFALCON 40F2 and iFFALCON 32F2 will be priced at Rs 19,999 and Rs 13,499 respectively. To make the deal even sweeter, all three iFFALCON models will come with a bundled cashback offer with JioFi data card.Stay tuned and know more details on Flipkart iFFALCON brand store.

NCR Gears up to Host the 4th Edition of One Mega Event from May 23-25, 2018 at Pragati Maidan with Emphasis on the Rapid Development of Smart Cities

The future of humanity lies in sustainable cities, for the strategies to improve the sustainability of the environment can profoundly improve the quality of life of people living in these cities. However, behind this lies the crucial question of how governments, industry experts, and individuals can help build and shape such sustainable cities that will determine our collective future. It is to initiate discussions around such critical issues and find practical tech-led solutions that India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) & Exhibitions India Group is bringing the 4th edition of the acclaimed One Mega Event. Scheduled between May 23 and May 25, 2018 at New Delhi’s Pragati Maidan, the event will have companies from 40 countries – from ground-breaking start-ups to blue-chip multinationals – unveil their latest technology products and services across 20,000 square meters of exposition space.

Launched in 2015, One Mega Event is the largest trade show and conference of its kind in the country. It brings together global industry leaders, exhibitors, industry associations, speakers, government administrators, municipal bodies, urban planning experts, investors, pioneers, technology innovators, architects, academia, and the media to envision the cities of tomorrow. Together, they share their views and proposals for making cities more viable, efficient, transparent, and, above all, enhancing the quality of life of its residents.

Government and business delegations from all over the globe are expected to attend the event that incorporates five vertical expos, namely Buildings India 2018 expo: Building a sustainable future, Solar India 2018 expo: Solar energy for a sustainable future, Transport India 2018 expo: Smarter transport for a sustainable future, Smart Cities India 2018 expo: Smarter solutions for a better tomorrow, Water India 2018 expo: Clean water for a sustainable future. Featuring amongst the participants at the event will be some prominent entities such as Epson India, Havells, Infineon, JK Cements, Johnson Controls, National Highway Authority of India, National Mission for Ganga Rejuvenation, New Delhi Municipal Corporation, ST Micro, Tata Group, and Vikram Solar. One Mega Event will be sponsored by SAP and Schneider Electric.

Commenting on the upcoming event, Prem Behl, Chairman, Exhibitions India Group, said, “The world is witnessing unprecedented urbanization at present, and there is perhaps no other country that is getting urbanized as swiftly as India. If unplanned, this leads to several critical issues such as overcrowding, congestion, and declining quality of life. Addressing these concerns requires well-designed cities that can deliver benefits in terms of economic development and prosperity, as well as encourage creativity and learning. Through this event, we endeavor to inspire people who already live in urban areas to look at their cities through a new lens and develop fresh insights which can help governments manage extant urban challenges. Our vision is to help all stakeholders across the value chain see how they can help in building robust urban infrastructures and sustainable energy, water, and transport systems by combining synergies and working towards a common goal.”

Ranked #1 on Google listings, and considered a must-attend event in this genre worldwide, One Mega Event features action-packed conference sessions, panel discussions, and plenary sessions, and provides opportunities for one-on-one meetings, group discussions, and networking activities. A full line-up of over 50 conference sessions enables delegates to collaborate and share best practices across a wide range of smart technology areas. Through a world-class exhibit space, One Mega Event ensures an experiential trade show for all involved in promoting efficient buildings, solar power, smart transportation, smart cities, and smart water management.

Amazon India Continues to Expand India Infrastructure; Adds Five New Fulfillment Centres

Amazon India has announced it was increasing its storage capacity in 2018 by 1.5X over the previous year, as continued investment in its fulfillment infrastructure to match its rapidly expanding business in India. With the addition of five new Fulfillment Centres (FC), Amazon.in now has 67 FCs in 13 states, with a total storage capacity of over 20 million cubic feet. This includes the recently announced specialized network of 6 FCs for the large appliances and furniture category and another specialized network of 15 FCs to support the AmazonNow business. 

These new FCs will be set up in Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi, Vijayawada and Kolkata to support increased customer and seller demand from these regions. All of these fulfillment centres will be fully operational before the festive season of 2018 as Amazon.in continues to be the fastest growing ecommerce company at scale in India. 

“We want to ensure that Indian customers can buy anything, anytime from anywhere in the country. At Amazon, we have been consistently investing in our infrastructure and delivery network, to provide a superior experience to both customers and sellers. With the addition of this expanded infrastructure, we will be able to offer an even better Prime experience to our customers.” said Akhil Saxena, Vice President, Customer Fulfillment, Amazon India.

He added, “The 67 FCs we now have across our fulfillment network will enable tens of thousands of small & medium businesses to fulfil their orders in a cost-efficient manner. We continue to remain committed to long term investment for infrastructure and technology in India that helps create thousands of new jobs, and brings economic growth in these areas, including ancillary businesses such as packaging, transportation and logistics.”

Amazon has created one of the most advanced fulfilment networks in the world and sellers in India have been benefitting from Amazon’s expertise in fulfilment, reliable nationwide delivery and customer service. When using Fulfilment By Amazon (FBA), sellers across India send their products to Amazon’s FCs and once an order is placed, Amazon picks, packs & ships the order to the customer, provides customer service and manages returns on behalf of the sellers.

Sellers save money by replacing their upfront capital expense with low variable cost and pay only for the storage space they use and the orders that Amazon fulfills. Sellers always have the flexibility to choose the number of products they want to have fulfilled by Amazon and scale according to their business requirements. Currently, over 40 million products are available for immediate shipping through the network of Amazon’s FCs in India. This selection will only increase with the expanding FC footprint and benefit sellers and customers alike.

All customers on www.amazon.in and the Amazon mobile shopping app have an easy and convenient access to over 170 million products across hundreds of categories. They benefit from a safe and secure ordering experience, convenient electronic payments, Cash on Delivery, Amazon’s 24x7 customer service support, and a globally recognized and comprehensive 100% purchase protection provided by Amazon’s A-to-Z Guarantee. They can also enjoy Amazon.in’s guaranteed next-day, two day delivery, Sunday and Morning delivery on products fulfilled by Amazon.

Accenture Interactive Named Largest Digital Network Worldwide by Advertising Age in Annual Agency Report for Third Year in a Row

Ad Age has named Accenture Interactive the largest digital network worldwide in its Agency Report 2018, published today. This is the third consecutive year in which Accenture Interactive was ranked the largest digital network worldwide. The analysis is based on an evaluation of more than 600 agencies, networks and companies.

 Ad Age’s annual Agency Report includes agency rankings based on worldwide and U.S. revenues in 2017. Accenture Interactive reported the highest worldwide revenue of any digital network, at $6.5 billion for Accenture’s fiscal year 2017 (ended August 31, 2017), reflecting year-over-year growth of 35%.

 Accenture Interactive ranked as follows:
 #1 – World’s 15 Largest Digital Networks
#1 – World’s 25 Largest Consolidated Networks
#6 – World’s 25 Largest Agency Companies

The rankings reflect a banner year for Accenture Interactive and significantly increased demand for its differentiated customer experience capabilities that connect creativity, strategy and technology.
“The future is all about creating the ultimate customer experience,” said Brian Whipple, global head of Accenture Interactive. “Brands today are built by a series of interconnected experiences consumers have with a company across multiple, increasingly digital, channels. Our model is purpose-built on assembling the right mix of digital and business transformation skills to deliver the best customer experiences on the planet. I’m extremely grateful to our clients and team who deserve all the credit for this success.”

Calendar year 2017 was a milestone year for Accenture Interactive, including having:
Pioneered inventions, including an AI-driven programmatic video format and Accenture Genome, next-generation personalization technology

Launched an Extended Reality group and added industrial design capabilities to its Fjord design & innovation unit

Entered new markets, including Buenos Aires and Colombia and opened a Digital Hub in Singapore – all collaborative work environments to foster co-creation with clients
Landed new accounts, including Maserati, The Vatican, and Wärtsilä 
Hired industry luminaries such as former Wunderman president Eduardo Bicudo  
Acquired award-winning agencies, including SinnerSchrader (Germany), Kunstmaan (Belgium), The Monkeys (Australia), MATTER and Wire Stone (US)             
                         
“Today’s clients face challenges of speed and agility and are looking for agencies built from the ground up for the digital world, providing the right brains and skills,” said Amy Fuller, Accenture’s chief marketing & communications officer. “CMOs are looking for equal parts strategic and creative partner, with a mix of multi-disciplinary skills – such as design, deep technology and marketing analytics – to help solve their toughest business and brand challenges. We’re proud that Ad Age has recognized Accenture Interactive and our successful model that brings unique capabilities and innovative services to the market.”

According to the Agency Report, digital overall captured 51% of 2017 U.S. revenue for agencies of all disciplines – reflecting a growth rate of 7%, versus 8% in 2016. The report notes that, despite overall lackluster category growth, parts of the agency market are thriving. Digital work in 2017 accounted for more than half of U.S. agency revenue for the very first time. Also, consultancies for the first time captured spots 6 to 10 on the list of the world’s biggest agency companies, and “are well-positioned with deep ties to the C-suite,” says lead writer, Bradley Johnson.

 Ad Age’s 74th Agency Report, published annually since 1945, includes rankings of the largest agencies and agency companies based on prior year revenue.

Toyota Kirloskar Motor sells 13,871 units Including Exports of 834 units of the Etios Series During April 2018

Toyota Kirloskar Motor sold a total of 13037 units in the domestic market this month of April 2018. The company exported 834 units of the Etios series this month thus clocking a total of 13871 units.  TKM sold a total of 12964 units in the domestic market and exported 1109 units of the Etios series in April 2017.

Commenting on the sales performance, N. Raja, Deputy Managing Director, Toyota Kirloskar Motor said, “This month was quite eventful for us with the bookings opening for the most awaited product Toyota Yaris. Yaris is loaded with first in segment features and offers great value proposition in terms of best in segment quality, comfort safety and performance.

The world class sedan has been well appreciated nationwide since its first appearance at the Auto Expo 2018. It comes at an exciting Introductory price in the range of  ₹ 8,75,000/- to  ₹ 14,07,000/, there has been very good initial response from customers.  The deliveries to customers will begin from mid May.

Fortuner and Innova Crysta continue to maintain a strong position in the market as undisputed segment leaders. We are thankful to our customers for their continued trust and loyalty to the brand.

We look forward to a positive growth momentum in the domestic sales in the upcoming month and expect good sales volume for our new entry Toyota Yaris.

Script Huddle- Kitchen Masterclass with Celebrity Chef Sarah Todd in Bangalore

Celebrity chef Sarah Todd executed her exciting Kitchen Masterclass at ‘Script’, Bangalore’s newest furniture and accessories store. 

The Masterclass was a part of ‘Script Huddle’ which brings together like-minded people in a deep and meaningful way, in a series of in-store workshops, curated panel discussions, meet-ups and performances that cover design, décor and DIY yes, but also music, literature and work-life balance.

 The event witnessed Bengaluru food lovers in full strength as they attended Sarah’s knives workshop and learnt some unique techniques of prepping, plating and setting the table. Inspired by the concept of ‘Freedom of Living, Script believes that such events just like their products will also strive to deliver a life which is fluid, enjoyable, beautiful and purposeful.

Forcepoint Announces APAC Channel Partner Awards to Fuel Growth in Delivering Human-Centric Cybersecurity

Global cybersecurity leader Forcepoint today announced its partner award winners, presented during the gala dinner at its APAC Channel Partner conference in Taipei, Taiwan. Forcepoint’s partner awards celebrate the global partner community and the innovation and value-added services they deliver to Forcepoint end-user customers. Key channel partners from across the region attended a two-day conference to learn more about Forcepoint’s human-centric security strategy and Risk-Adaptive Protection.

The winners this year are:
·         APAC Distributor of the Year: Inflow Technologies (India)
·         Top Cloud Distributor: TECH DATA (Australia)
·         Top Data Distributor: Data World (Hong Kong)
·         Rookie Distributor of the Year: Netpoleon (Thailand)
·         Platinum Partner of the Year: Hitachi Systems (India)
·         Platinum Partner of the Year (Cloud): IBM (Australia)
·         Platinum Partner of the Year (Data): ACPL Systems (India)
·         Gold partner of the Year: Radmik (Malaysia)
·         Rookie Partner of the Year (Cloud): Equate Technologies (Australia)
·         Rookie Partner of the Year (Data): Answer Co. Ltd (Korea)

“We are delighted to celebrate the success which investment in our human-centric security approach brings to our APAC network of partners,” said George Chang, vice president of APAC at Forcepoint. “Forcepoint is driving an inflection point in the cybersecurity industry. With traditional approaches no longer working, and breaches getting bigger and causing more damage and disruptions, the industry needs to move towards Risk-adaptive Protection to meet today’s sophisticated security threats.”

To further support partners in delivering differentiated, human-centric cybersecurity capabilities, Forcepoint announced the appointment of Alex Lim as senior director of channel and alliances for Asia Pacific and Japan at Forcepoint.

In his new role and working closely with Tom Flink, vice president of global channel sales at Forcepoint, Lim will lead the APAC channel team in expanding business opportunities via channel partners, service providers, system integrators and distributors through Forcepoint’s differentiated and high-growth security systems. Previously, Lim successfully led and grew business for Forcepoint’s Southeast Asia region for more than 10 years helping enterprise customers protect their users and critical data while enabling partners to adopt the Human Point system of cybersecurity capabilities that included DLP, UEBA, CASB, NGFW and web/email security.

“Alex has been an experienced leader and a passionate advocate of the channel’s ability to enable organizations to keep their people and IP safe in this digital world,” said Flink. “He will play a vital role to expand the APAC channel eco-system and work with our partners to deliver Risk-Adaptive Protection innovations to businesses demanding a fresh approach to security.”

“The human-centric approach to cybersecurity represents a largely untapped opportunity for the channel as customers seek to rapidly respond to and eliminate risk in an ever-evolving threat landscape,” said Lim. “I’m excited to support our channel partners in growing their business as they modernize their customer’s cybersecurity capabilities.”

At the APAC Partner conference, key partners from across the region came together to learn more about Forcepoint’s transformation of cybersecurity and the opportunities to grow in 2018 and beyond. In the last three months alone Forcepoint has been recognized by CRN on its 20 Coolest Cloud Security Vendors list, the 2018 Cloud 100 and 2017 Products of the Year for Forcepoint CASB. Forcepoint’s Flink was also named to the prestigious list of CRN 2018 Channel Chiefs.

The conference delivered insight to APAC partners on how focus at Forcepoint is shifting to the end user, by enabling Risk-Adaptive Protection to continuously assess risk and automatically provide proportional enforcement that can be dialed up or down. This capability is enabled through the power of human-centric behavior analytics that understand interactions with data across users, machines and accounts. With the industry's first automated enforcement capability that dynamically adapts, security analysts are now freed to focus on high value activities and eliminate the backlog of alerts from traditional security tools.

In addition, partners had an opportunity to hear the APAC perspective on cybersecurity industry issues from leading IT analyst firm Frost & Sullivan and the National Bureau of Investigation, Philippines.

In the past six months, Forcepoint has added many strategic partners to its channel programme including Sify Limited in India, Zillione Limited in Sri Lanka, Quann Asia Pacific Pte Ltd in Singapore, and Avantgarde Technologiesand Equate Technologies in Australia.

Arvind Gautam, executive vice president and head of TIS Business, Sify Limited said, “Our customers are asking us to deliver a cybersecurity strategy that not only allows them to innovate and but also deal with security threats effectively as they happen. Our partnership with Forcepoint has allowed us to offer revolutionary human-centric cybersecurity solutions and we are confident that we can continue to grow together.”