Karnataka Bank Unveils ‘KBL Mobile Plus’ in Mangalore

Karnataka Bank MD and CEO Mahabaleshwara M S, Non-executive Chairman P Jayaram Bhat and others were present at the launch of KBL Mobile Plus in Mangaluru on Tuesday.

As part of its digital initiative, Karnataka Bank has launched an integrated mobile banking application called “KBL Mobile Plus” with enhanced features. The App will be available on Google Playstore and Apple App Store.

The salient features are biometric login, fund transfers, recharge and bill payments, debit card settings like blocking card, switch on/off and enabling and disabling international usage.

It also provides facilities of account view/statements, online FD/RD opening, KBL QR code for within bank transfer, online registration from KBL Suraksha, PMJDY, PMJJY. The App has been integrated with Bhim KBL UPI, KBL mPassbook, KBL Locator. The mCommerce for online ticket booking, food order etc, will be enabled soon.

One-stop solution

“KBL Mobile Plus” will be a one-stop solution for customers. To enhance the user experience, the Bank has integrated its existing standalone App’s like BHIM KBL UPI, KBL mPassbook, KBL Locator and mCommerce online into this app, where users can use just one App and get all the features.

“This App has many additional new age features,” said Mahabaleshwara M S, Managing Director and CEO of the Bank, on the occasion of launching the “KBL Mobile Plus ” in Mangaluru.

Daiwa Launches New Smart LED Televisions in Indian Market

Daiwa TV has expanded its portfolio with its most recent 98 cm (40 inch), D40B10 LED TV. It comes with a heap of functionalities, easy to use interface and future slim technology.

The 40 inch, Full HD LED TV comes with wireless Headphone Control. Additionally, its Eco Vision helps reduce power consumption for enhanced contrast and on-screen noise. With the screen resolution of HD 1366*768, one can enjoy the magic of cinema directly at the home. The smart TV comes with detailed picture quality with an A+ Grade panel and 16.7M Display Colours which makes every picture reel to real, the company said in a release.

The multi-display function and the cinema zoom feature gives a clear view. Extending the boundaries of innovation, the LED TV comes with Image freeze, 3D comb filter, and picture enhancement feature that further enhances the picture quality, the release added.

The Power Audio Volume system, integrated with 20 W Box Speaker that delivers a top-notch audio output. Additionally, one can also adjust the Bass, Treble and Volume using the Equalizer, giving one full access to control the sound desirable to the users. With the presence of several connectivity options including the 2 HDMI input ports, and 2 USB ports, the TV enables the users to connect to multiple media devices for a superior viewing experience.

The product, which is priced at Rs 15,490, is available with all ecommerce stores in India.

Features

- LED TV comes with Image freeze, 3D comb filter, and picture enhancement feature

- Integrated with 20 W Box Speaker

- Connectivity options include 2 HDMI input ports, and 2 USB ports

Quantum to Showcase High Performance In-Vehicle Storage for Autonomous Vehicle Development at CES 2019

Quantum Corp. will demonstrate its new Mobile Storage offering at CES 2019 in Las Vegas.  The ruggedized, in-vehicle storage solution is designed specifically for mobile and remote capture of video and other IoT sensor data. Quantum will host demonstrations and schedule meetings at the MGM Grand, Jan. 7-11, with partner AutonomouStuff.

[Click to tweet: Visit @QuantumCorp at #CES2019 to see how Mobile Storage completes an end-to-end storage solution designed for in-vehicle sensor data recording that enables autonomous research https://qntm.co/CES]

“Autonomous vehicle testing generates and captures massive amounts of data to be analysed in extremely short timeframes, and then preserved for long-term reference,” said Mark Pastor, Data Archive Product Director for Quantum. “With our Mobile Storage addition Quantum delivers a comprehensive infrastructure for capturing, storing, managing, protecting and accessing petabytes or exabytes of test and development data, creating an efficient method for transferring data from the vehicle to the analysis and development environment.”

Quantum Mobile Storage is designed for environments such as autonomous vehicle development, where a test vehicle can generate several terabytes of video, image and sensor data each day. It automates the process of offloading data to a StorNext high performance parallel file system. Quantum Mobile Storage enables a complete autonomous vehicle development workflow and has applications for other mobile storage environments such as rolling stock video on trains and buses, on-site video shoots, as well as military uses. Available in a variety of capacity and performance models, Quantum Mobile Storage has been designed specifically for mobile capture of 10s of TBs of rich data such as video, LIDAR, and RADAR and for fast transport and automated upload to the datacentre for analysis, editing, protection and archive.

CES is the world's gathering place for the business of consumer technologies. Owned and produced by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), it attracts the world's business leaders and pioneering thinkers.

Foxconn to Start Assembling Top-End iPhones in India by 2019

Apple Inc will begin assembling its top-end iPhones in India through the local unit of Foxconn as early as 2019, the first time the Taiwanese contract manufacturer will have made the product in the country, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Importantly, Foxconn will be assembling the most expensive models, such as devices in the flagship iPhone X family, the source said, potentially taking Apple’s business in India to a new level. The work will take place at Foxconn’s plant in Sriperumbudur town in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, said the source, who declined to be named.

Foxconn, which already makes phones for Xiaomi Corp in India, will invest Rs 25 billion ($356 million) to expand the plant, including investment in iPhone production, Tamil Nadu’s Industries Minister M C Sampath told the media.

The investment may create as many as 25,000 jobs, he added. Another source also said Foxconn planned to assemble iPhones in India, in a move that could help both it and Apple to limit the impact of a trade war between the United States and China.

Apple spokeswoman Trudy Muller declined to comment.

Lower-end phones

Until now, Cupertino, California-based Apple has only assembled the lower-cost SE and 6S models in India through Wistron Corp’s local unit in the Bengaluru technology hub.

Its sales in India have also been focused on lower-end phones - more than half of its sales volume is driven by models older than the iPhone 8, launched last year, according to technology research firm Counterpoint.

Apple launched the pricey iPhone X last year but has cut production of that phone, according to industry analysts, since it began selling the newer versions, iPhone XS and XR, globally this year. Still, it could potentially get Foxconn to make the older iPhone X version in India where it sells cheaper models in a bid to get a bigger share of the world’s fastest-growing major mobile phone market.

It is not known if any of the iPhone assembly is being moved from existing Foxconn factories in China and elsewhere. It is also unclear whether the production will be confined to assembly or include any component production in India. Indian taxes on import of devices and components have also heightened Apple’s headache in a market where it has only a 1% share by smartphone shipments. Making more phones locally will help Apple save costly duties and boost Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s flagship drive to make India a manufacturing hub, Singh said.

Apple shocked investors last month with a lower-than-expected sales forecast for the Christmas quarter that jolted parts suppliers across the world.

Boeing Inc Forecasts Demand for 2,300 New Airplanes in India

Boeing raised its long-term forecast for commercial airplanes in India as unprecedented domestic passenger traffic and rapidly expanding low-cost carriers (LCCs) drive the need for 2,300 new jets – valued at $320 billion – over the next 20 years.

This year alone, more than 10 million passengers, on average, traveled within India each month.

“To meet this increased domestic air traffic growth, we see the vast majority of available airplane seats coming from LCCs,” said Dinesh Keskar, senior vice-president of sales for Asia Pacific and India, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “The success of this market segment will mean more than 80 percent of all new airplane deliveries in India will be single-aisles. And the superior economics and fuel efficiency of the new 737 MAX airplane will be the perfect choice for Indian carriers.”

According to Boeing's Commercial Market Outlook (CMO), India's commercial aviation industry has achieved 51 consecutive months of double-digit growth. This growth is matched in other sectors of the country's economy.

“The Indian economy is projected to grow by nearly 350 percent over the next two decades to become the third largest economy in the world,” said  Keskar. “This will continue to drive the growth of India's middle class and its propensity to travel both domestically and internationally, resulting in the need for more new fuel-efficient short- and long-haul airplanes.”

With more than five percent of the world's fleet expected to operate in India by 2037, services will continue to be a major driver of growth in the region's commercial aviation industry. Commercial services such as flight training, engineering and maintenance, digital analytics among others will provide airlines with optimal operational efficiencies as they continue to expand to meet growth in the marketplace. In the South Asian market, including India, Boeing forecasts a commercial services market valued at $430 billion over the next 20 years.

Owing to its close proximity to Arunachal Pradesh, the Lilabari airport serves both Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.

Under UDAN! SpiceJet to Commence Direct Flight Between Kolkata and Lilabari

SpiceJet is starting a daily direct flight service on the Kolkata-Lilabari route, under the UDAN scheme. The airline is also starting another service from Kolkata and Jabalpur. It will also add an additional frequency on Hyderabad-Jabalpur route. All new flights and frequencies are scheduled to commence from January 15.

The unserved market of Lilabari, located in the Lakhimpur district of Assam, was awarded to SpiceJet under the second phase of regional connectivity scheme. Lilabari is the airline's tenth destination under it.

"SpiceJet is celebrating the launch by announcing an introductory promotional fare starting at Rs 3,700 on Kolkata-Lilabari and Lilabari-Kolkata routes, Rs 3,969 on Kolkata-Jabalpur and Rs 3,949 on Jabalpur-Kolkata, routes," said SpiceJet in a statement. The airline will deploy its Bombardier Q400s on all these routes.

Meanwhile, Shilpa Bhatia, chief sales and revenue officer, SpiceJet, said, "Lilabari is our first destination in Assam under the UDAN scheme and we are confident that the new flight will provide impetus to the tourism potential of the state."

Mundra Port Concludes Delivery and Dispatch of 50 U.S. Made GE Locomotives to Indian Railways

Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ) successfully concluded the import and dispatch of 50 General Electric Transportation (GE) locomotives from Mundra port for the Indian Railways with full customer satisfaction and ‘zero’ incident. All 50 locomotives were manufactured by GE Electromotive Division in the United States and imported at Mundra port for the Indian Railways, a first for Indian shopping and logistics. The final locomotive was handed over to the Indian Railways at the Roza Loco Shed (UP) on 23 November 2018. The commissioning of the locomotives was completed in the period of Oct.2017 to Nov.2018, which is a landmark record for the logistics and ports sector.

Mundra port has the unique distinction of handling consignments critical for development and defence of the nation. In a short span of time, the port has played an instrumental role in logistics of wagons for various Metro projects pan-India, mining dump truck of 240 MT capacity and heavy duty air-crane (helicopter). Sources say that the port is set to receive the first batch of Boeing Chinook helicopters which is purported to give a decisive edge to India’s defence forces in war like scenario and also during times of humanitarian crisis.

APSEZ is India’s largest private multi-port operator and a part of the Adani Group, an integrated infrastructure corporation. Since 1962, after the import of WDM2 ALCO locomotives for the Indian Railways, the current import of GE locomotives (WDG4 series 49002) is the biggest import consignment in India. The first GE locomotive was imported to Mundra and successfully handled by Adani Port on 10th Oct. 2017. The loco was dispatched from Mundra to the Roza Loco Shed on 11th Feb. 2018 and the 50th loco was dispatched on 23rd Nov. 2018 within 10 months. With the purpose of Dedicated Freight Cargo Corridor, the selling point for the port was available to facilitate the commissioning of locos. Also, the strategic location of port was a huge advantage.

Avinash Rai, Chief Operating Officer, APSEZ said, “Efficiency in logistical operations is given an utmost priority at Adani Ports. Therefore, while handling the logistical operations for the Indian Railways and GE, we made sure the transportation of cargo from the vessel to its destination is seamless and without any incident. This achievement by the team at Mundra takes our standards to another level in India and sets new benchmarks for us to cross. Our aim is to continue leveraging the strategic advantage of our ports along the entire coastline of India to create a vast network of inland logistics in the country. The idea is to give end to end logistics solutions to customers using our ports and create new records.”

Mundra Port is the second largest port in India in handling container cargo. In 2014 – 15, Mundra port handled 1.75 Million TEUs and has the installed terminal capacity to handle 2.3 Million TEUs p.a. Adani Ports operates two terminals at Mundra - Adani Mundra Container Terminal (AMCT), which started operations in 2007, and Adani International Container Terminal (AICTPL), which was operationalised in 2013. Jointly both terminals handle 26 services, connecting India to destinations across the world.