HP Reinvents the PC with New Premium Spectre Series in India

HP has unveiled the new premium Spectre range that sets the bold standard for premium PC innovation. With this range comprising the HP Spectre Folio and HP Spectre x360, HP has reinvented every aspect of the PC from the material used to build it, to the experiences it can deliver. The result is the transformative form factor designed for true mobility and equipped to easily adapt to everyday use cases.       

There is a growing desire for personal computing devices that enable new experiences and are built for busy, on-the-go lifestyles. This is especially true for customers looking to purchase a premium device, who spend a significant amount of time using their laptop outside of the home.

“HP continues to create the world’s most exciting devices that are leading the PCs into a new era of innovation. By listening to the needs of our customers and leveraging our design and engineering capabilities, HP is setting new benchmarks for the industry,” said Sumeer Chandra, Managing Director, HP Inc. India.

“HP has always believed in insights-based innovation that allows us to deliver the PC experiences that users want. The new HP Spectre series has made a breakthrough in design, versatility and connectivity. The HP Spectre Folio and Spectre x360 achieve the perfect balance of beautiful design, cutting edge engineering and outstanding performance,” said Vickram Bedi, Senior Director, Personal Systems, HP Inc. India.       

HP Spectre Folio: A stunning device that sets the standard for design and craftmanship         

The HP Spectre Folio provides a PC experience unlike any other. As the world’s first leather convertible PC, HP has embraced the art of “manucrafturing”, where it combines meticulously designed hardware with handcrafted leather and accented stitching.

The Spectre Folio builds on the success of traditional laptops, 2-in-1 devices and convertibles, which are designed primarily for specific productivity tasks or scenarios. The result is unprecedented versatility in a PC that seamlessly converts between three distinct positions. To achieve a thin and light design in this radically new form factor, the Spectre Folio incorporates one of the smallest motherboards in the industry, capitalizing on 8th Gen Intel Core i7 processors[i]. An innovative fanless thermal design leverages the unique qualities of leather to create an experience that feels both cool and comfortable in the lap.

Other features include up to 16 GB of memory, up to 512 GB of SSD storage[ii], and a low-power, 1W 400-nits FHD for ideal viewing in any lighting condition. HP has worked closely with the renowned global audio and lifestyle brand Bang & Olufsen to expertly tune the four front facing speakers for a superb audio experience in any of the device positions. To create a more immersive experience, HP Spectre Folio comes with touchscreen.         

HP Spectre x360: The intersection of bold design and performance

The HP Spectre x360 is designed for an on-the-go lifestyle, while offering superior design, leading security and enhanced performance. The model features a cut design that can only be achieved by CNC machining. The attention to craftmanship and detail is visible in the functional design, which enables four distinct positions: Laptop, Tent, Reverse and Tablet.

Powered with the latest quad-core 8th generation Intel Core processors, the HP Spectre x360 includes long-lasting battery life. The angled USB-C port provides better cable management, and the dual chamfer design for easier lid lift from three sides. The laptop comes in both FHD 4K (UHD) display options. The unique design of the speaker pattern is also purposeful, with each hole micro-drilled for better acoustic transparency to deliver an amazing audio experience by Bang & Olufsen.

The device also comes with a privacy camera kill switch which allows the user to electrically turn off the webcam when not in use. The HP Spectre x360 is also equipped with optional HP Sure View, an integrated privacy screen to help users avoid prying eyes in public areas.           

Pricing and Availability

·         HP Spectre Folio is available now in Cognac Brown at a price of INR 1,99,990

·         HP Spectre x360 is available now in Dark Ash Grey at a starting price of INR 1,29,990; and in Poseidon Blue at a starting price of INR 1,39,990.

Styched.in Launches the Save Indian Government School Merchandise

Styched.in, a fast fashion ecommerce portal, launched the Save Government School Movement merchandise, with T-Shirts advocating the movement.

Production-on-demand based youth fashion startup, Styched, launches 'Save Government School Movement' merchandise. The #SaveGovtSchools movement is a statewide campaign in Karnataka that kick-started in July, demanding a comprehensive state education policy to ensure free and quality education for all. It aims to achieve this across all the state-run government schools. The campaign is headed by Anil Shetty, President of the Nav Bharat Democratic Party.

Styched.in has been given the mandate of selling the merchandise online and using the proceeds from the T-Shirt sale towards helping the campaign and the Government Schools provide better education to all children. Popular film actress Pranitha Subhash will be launching this T-Shirt line at a formal event during the first week of February.

Speaking about this movement, Saswata, one of the angel investors at Styched said, "We are hopeful that these T-Shirts will help spread word of this extremely important movement in Karnataka. The future of the country heavily depends on quality education and infrastructure provided at schools, and this campaign takes one major step towards providing better facility to all Government run schools. We are all the more excited since Styched as a brand believes in the Make in India motto and there was a clear synergy between the two."

The website https://www.styched.in, promoted by Sensedynamic Fashions, is a fast fashion brand targeting the youth. Founded by health enthusiast Sony Joseph, the company is based out of Bangalore and is a pure play ecommerce brand. Styched is funded by a group of friends and alumni of IIT Kharagpur, namely, Durga Dash, who heads seller marketing at Amazon India, Saswata Banerjee, who is a tech entrepreneur and ex-Justdial, and Soumajit Bhowmik, who is the ex-Head of Marketing at Jabong and the current Director of Ecommerce at Capillary Technologies. The brand aims to become the go-to brand for the youth and millennials for fast fashion - high quality apparel at lowest prices. The company is gearing up for some major alliances across various sports formats and movies to be the official fan tee provider in India.

"Fashion ecommerce penetration in India is still quite less and there is significant market left open for new brands, especially low-cost youth brands. With Styched, we aim to capture a considerable market share for this vertical in the next 2 years" said Soumajit who was recently awarded as the most influential ecommerce professional in the country.

ACT Fibernet Unveils New Brand Identity to Enrich its Customer Value Proposition

ACT Fibernet, India’s largest fiber broadband ISP (Internet Service Provider), today launched its new brand identity with the unveiling of the logo and tagline ‘Feel the Advantage’. The rebranding initiative is a strategic component of ACT Fibernet to becoming the most admired in-home entertainment and interactive internet services provider in India.

The new brand identity represents ACT Fibernet’s differentiated approach towards offering innovative customer centric solutions that will enhance user experience and provide maximum value.

In 2019, ACT Fibernet will expand its products, service offerings and partnerships across various categories, namely – ACT Advantage Entertainment, ACT Advantage Gaming, ACT Advantage Speed, ACT Advantage Service, ACT Advantage Smart Cities, and ACT Advantage community.

As part of the activity, ACT Fibernet will partner with content provider like ZEE 5 and Sony Liv amongst others to strengthen its content offerings. Being the preferred choice of every gaming enthusiast, ACT Fibernet is working with popular gaming cafes, gaming OEMs and gaming publishers to provide the highest quality gaming experience to users.

Within the next six months, ACT Fibernet plans to launch its broadband services in multiple cities across North & West India, thereby expanding its footprint in the country.  The company will also be launching a 24*7 call center and a unified call center number to address customers queries in real time.

In support to the government’s mission towards building a digital India and smart cities mission, ACT Fibernet aims to complete 5000+ wifi hotspots across Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Vishakhapatnam and others. Further, ACT Fibernet is jointly working with the state government of Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru to enable free wi-fi connectivity in public libraries and schools.

Speaking on the launch Bala Malladi, CEO, Atria Convergence Technologies Ltd. said, “We have always believed in providing our customers the best solutions through our products and services. Today, consumer needs and usage behavior is continuously evolving. Newer technologies are constantly being adopted and becoming mass-scale by the day, be it streaming or gaming or smart homes. It is therefore our responsibility to work in conjunction with the rapidly evolving customer’s expectations and find feasible ways to serve them. We strongly believe that our new brand identity reflects this value and commitment we have towards our customers”

“Moving forward, we will be launching new products and services that our consumer’s desire. We are confident that with our pioneering fibernet connection, hyper fast speeds, new offerings and industry's best customer service in place, we will successfully transform our customer’s experience enabling them to do and accomplish more. With ACT you can Feel the Advantage” he added.

The new logo represents the brands ethos– Sharp, futuristic, innovative, exciting, creative and modern.  The tagline ‘’Feel the Advantage” is simple but powerful expression of the brand’s mission, values and commitment.

Tata Motors and Tata Motors Finance Group Enter into a Strategic Tie-Up with Kool-ex Cold Chain

In a first of its kind transaction, Tata Motors along with Tata Motors Finance Group entered into strategic tie-up with Kool-ex Cold Chain Limited – a leading Pharma Cold Chain Logistics Service Provider to supply 200 Fully Built Reefer Trucks manufactured by Tata Motors.

Developing a unique one stop solution for Kool-ex Cold Chain Ltd, this tie up includes manufacturing of the specially built pharma compliant reefer trucks which will be covered under the Tata Sampoorna Seva umbrella of value added services and a complete funding plan by TMF Group with a mixture of Equity and Debt, making the entire transaction a single window structure. The reefer units used for this deal will be built on the popular Tata LPT 1613 MCV trucks and the Tata LPT 2518 Multi axle truck.

According to Mr. Shyam Mani - MD, Tata Motors Finance Group – “We are elated to be a part of this one of a kind tie up to provide complete financing solutions to Kool-ex Cold Chain Limited. As a part of this tie up, we will not only be providing vehicle financing through Tata Motors Finance Limited (TMFL) but will also provide mezzanine equity financing to the company through Tata Motors Finance Solutions Limited (TMFSL), making this a structured financing deal. We are confident that this complete package will deliver the best for all companies who are a part the deal and will lay a strong foundation for a continued association ahead.” 

On this occasion, Mr. R T Wasan, Head, Marketing & Sales, CVBU, Tata Motors said, “Tata Motors as the leading CV player in the Industry continues to work closely with its customers and their clients to develop total solutions for their transportation and logistics requirements. With a sectoral approach, Tata Motors has worked with Kool-Ex to co-develop the fully built reefer unit to meet the sophisticated logistics requirements of the Pharma Industry which will meet the rapidly growing needs of the Pharma Industry due to the anticipated changes in the regulations related to transportation and storage”

Kool-Ex which has over 21 years of experience in this segment is all set to become one of the largest Pharma Cold Chain Logistics Service Provider in the country, with this partnership. Kool-ex will also shortly enter the Cold Chain warehousing segment, with its first commercial project likely to come up near Pune along with foray into last mile deliveries, thereby making it a completely integrated 3PL Cold Chain Logistics Service Provider

Speaking on the tie-up, Mr. Rahul Agarwal, Director, Kool-ex Cold Chain Limited said, “Tata Motors has been an integral part of Kool-ex story since the beginning of our journey and this fresh order is a testimonial to their smart, customer-friendly and innovative offerings. We are methodically expanding our product portfolios and reinforcing our expertise in various segments, meeting the growing customer requirements. We believe specialized needs of the burgeoning e-commerce and cold chain industry will spawn a range of opportunities for niche organised logistics players in near future.”

Kool-ex has been one of the loyal customers of Tata Motors, with over 15 years of association. Through its single window seamless approach, Tata Motors was able to get Kool-ex as a key customer and offer structured schemes for financing the expansion.

Land Rover's 'Never Stop Discovering’ Campaign Aims to Raise Awareness on Wildlife Conservation

Land Rover in India has launched its latest digital and social media campaign, ‘Never Stop Discovering’ to create conversations around India’s wildlife and thus recognizing the stupendous work being done to protect our diverse wildlife by some of the most passionate and knowledgeable minds in India. This follows the very successful ‘Discovery With A Purpose’ journey, undertaken in February 2018 in Land Rover Discovery vehicles that covered   1 200 km across various forests and terrains of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, to create awareness and conversations around India’s endangered wildlife. 

Rohit Suri, President & Managing Director, Jaguar Land Rover India Ltd (JLRIL), said:
“Our Discovery family, with class leading versatility and capability, is a great enabler for the curious minds, for those who want to get out there and explore more, and share these explorations and new experiences with their family and friends. Through the 'Never Stop Discovering' campaign, we want to reach out and connect with all such people and inspire them with purposeful stories.”

The ‘Never Stop Discovering’ campaign focusses on stimulating stories of journeys in Land Rover Discovery Sport to Nagarhole National Park to showcase initiatives in the field of eco-tourism, which is providing impetus to wildlife conservation in India. The films feature big cat specialist, wildlife photographer and cinematographer Shaaz Jung for the Indian Leopard and the very elusive Black Panther, Aly Rashid for the Sloth Bear in Satpura National Park and Harshawardhan and Poonam Dhanwatey for the Bengal Tiger in and around the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve.

Speaking on the release of the first film, Shaaz Jung, said: “Life is a safari and utilising eco-tourism as an integral tool for conservation has always been my priority. We created The Bison and BCRTI (Buffer Conflict Resolution Trust of India) to address the conflicts in our buffer regions whilst also providing vocational training and creating awareness. Helping people understand the importance of our flora and fauna is the key to saving our country and retaining India’s culture and it’s great that Land Rover is bringing this to the fore through ‘Never Stop Discovering’

The first story under the campaign may be viewed at https://bit.ly/2GlUlSG with others to follow in March and April 2019. 

Honor Sets Up 100+ AI Consumer Experience Studios Across India

Honor, the leading smartphone e-brand under the Huawei Group, recently announced the Honor 10 Lite in India, and starting today the most stylish AI smartphone will be available in all leading offline stores across India. The AI smartphone will be available in 6GB + 64GB variant at INR 17,999 in Sapphire Blue and Sky Blue colors.

To further enhance the customer experience, Honor has also set up an amazing AI studio in 100+ stores across 12 different cities where users can get a hands-on experience of the 24 MP AI Selfie feature at the customized Selfie Studio. Honor aims to spread across leading 4000+ stores.

“We’re pleased to see that our latest smartphone the Honor 10 Lite has seen an overwhelming response via the online sales efforts so far; and we’re excited to roll-out the smartphone offline as well, across all major cities in India. We welcome the youth of the country to experience the powerful AI camera at their nearest Honor store, where we’ve for the first time set up customized AI studios across the country. We hope to continue the momentum in the future sales for the device,” Suhail Tariq, CMO Huawei Consumer Business Group.

Honor 10 Lite is also available on Flipkart with No cost EMI and exchange offer T&C*.

Honor 10 Lite specifications:

The Honor 10 Lite comes with an impressive 24MP AI selfie camera, AI scene detection technology on both rear and front cameras, latest Kirin 710 processor with 12nm process technology, Dewdrop Display, first Honor phone with Intelligent EMUI 9.0 on top of Android 9 (Pie) out of the box and 3,400 mAh battery.

Honor 10 Lite features 15.77cm (6.21”) Dewdrop display, 91% screen-to-body ratio with 19:5:9 aspect ratio, has support for GPU Turbo 2.0 and runs Android 9.0 (Pie) with EMUI 9.0 on top.

The AI Selfie camera can recognize eight different scenes (Sky, Beach, Plant, Flower, Stage, Night, Room and Snow) and adjust camera settings to click best ever selfies. The front camera also features AI based facial recognition and light fusion technology, ensuring you always look your best in every scenario and light condition.

Dual Rear AI Camera is capable of detecting 22 different scenes to give best ever photographs in every scenario and condition. Low light photography is enhanced by its big f1.8 aperture and AIS mode which enables it to capture beautiful and detailed shots even in low light conditions.

Special Features:

*  AI Shopping: Shop what you see with Intelligent AI shopping experience on various shopping e-commerce platforms in India.

*  Calorie Detection : Detect calories in food items just by looking them through camera

*  AI Enhanced calls: AI noise reduction accurately recognizes noise and suppresses it

*  Wi-Fi Bridge: Now you can share any Wi-Fi network as hotspot and connect maximum 4 devices

*  Paytm Pay: One click pay option for Paytm users

*  App Assistant: Enjoy uninterrupted gaming experience

*  Dual VoLTE: You can access internet from 1 sim, while you are having a phone call with the other sim

*  AI Smart Face Unlock: Lock Screen with Privacy Protection - By face recognition, only the phone owner can see more details

*  Smart Fingerprint: Apart from unlocking phone, you can use it from taking photos & videos, answer call, stop alarm, show notification panel & browse photos

*  Smart Triple Bluetooth Connection: Connect 3 devices - Like Bluetooth headset & Smart Watch

*  Ride Mode: Specially for bike rider safety & Keep them away from the unwanted distraction of call

*  Party Mode: Connect up to 6 Honor devices and play your favourite song in all the device at the same time

The Honor 10 Lite is the successor of the Honor 9 lite that was launched in India earlier in the year 2018. Honor has sold more than 1.5 million Honor 9 Lite devices so far.

  

LTI to Acquire Germany Based Temenos WealthSuite specialist NIELSEN+PARTNER

Larsen & Toubro Infotech Ltd., a global technology consulting and digital solutions company, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire NIELSEN+PARTNER (N+P), an independent Temenos WealthSuite specialist, headquartered in Hamburg, Germany.

N+P is a leading partner of Temenos in Europe and APAC. The company is well-recognized for its market-leading capabilities in Temenos WealthSuite, including Triple’ A Plus, Data Source and Channels. With  presence in major Banking and Wealth Management hubs like Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Singapore, N+P also provides IT Consulting, digital and software engineering services to major enterprises.

This acquisition is synergistic to Syncordis acquisition that LTI announced in 2017. Syncordis is the leading Temenos T24 Core Banking Platform specialist with widespread presence in Europe, whereas N+P has built comprehensive expertise in the front office of Temenos WealthSuite. Together with Syncordis, N+P strengthens LTI’s capabilities as a global expert of Temenos suite of products and enriches company’s offerings to Banking clients. Upon integration, N+P’s Temenos business will be consolidated under the brand of Syncordis, while software engineering business will operate and expand as part of LTI Germany.

Sanjay Jalona, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director, LTI, said: “Temenos is the world leader in banking software. Since the Syncordis acquisition, this has been a fast-growing practice for us, enabling resilient relationships and rich, cross-selling opportunities. The acquisition of N+P will help us further establish LTI as a formidable player in the fast-growing market for Temenos and help our clients navigate their digital transformation journey. I welcome the employees and clients of N+P to LTI family.”

Manuel Brunckhorst, CEO, N+P said: “Joining forces with strategic and complementary partners like LTI and Syncordis is the next logical step to accelerate our growth, enhance our capabilities and extend our services, both for Temenos, as well as software engineering services. We are very excited about the future and continuing our journey with our existing and new clients, employees and partners.”

Guillaume Desjonqueres, CEO, Syncordis said: “Syncordis has been growing at a faster pace since its acquisition by LTI. With LTI acquiring N+P, we are entering into a new phase, expanding both our Temenos offerings and our footprint outside of Europe. In line with our strategic vision, Syncordis and N+P together with LTI will provide complete and innovative services to Temenos clients in the Banking and Wealth Management space, globally.”

This is the fourth acquisition by LTI since the company got listed in 2016. In January 2019, the company acquired Ruletronics, a boutique Pega Consulting company.