vivo Expands its V15 Family: Launches V15 Pro 8GB and V15 Aqua Blue Color Variant

Expanding its V series of smartphone range, vivo India today announced two new variants in the V15 series – V15 Pro 8GB and V15 Aqua Blue. The new V15 Pro is now available in 8GB RAM coupled with 128GB ROM and the younger sibling - V15 gets a new avatar with the stunning ‘Aqua Blue’ color.

Both the phones feature a powerful triple rear camera setup, stunning Ultra FullView™ Display and will run on Android Funtouch OS 9.0 out of the box. The new V15 Pro 8GB and V15 Aqua Blue will be available at an attractive price of INR 29,990/- & INR 21,990/- respectively. V15 Pro will now be available in both 6 + 128 GB and 8 + 128 GB options while the V15 (6+64GB) will now be available in new Aqua Blue and the existing Frozen Black color options. The vivo V15 series has been the fastest selling smartphone in the V series portfolio and has received an overwhelming response from consumers during its first week of sale on both offline and online channels.

Consumers will also get an array of attractive offers* on the purchase of the new V15 Pro 8GB and V15 on offline and online channels, such as–

·         Up to 12 months No Cost EMI including Bajaj Finance

·         IDFC First "ZERO DOWNPAYMENT" with 8 months EMI

·         HDB "ZERO DOWNPAYMENT" with 6 months EMI

·         Additional INR 2,000 off on Exchange

·         No Cost EMI Available up to 12 Months

*terms and conditions apply

Commenting on the launch, Mr. Nipun Marya, Director Brand Strategy, vivo India said, “We received an overwhelming response from the existing V15 series smartphones and we believe that the consumer will appreciate and enjoy the upgraded versions of V15Pro and V15 even more. Basis consumer demand and feedback, we have incorporated more RAM for an even better experience. The new variants will reinforce our stronghold in the Indian market by delivering on consumer expectations.”

Triple the fun with AI Triple Lens Rear Camera

The V15 series features an AI-enabled triple rear camera setup along with a 32MP Pop-up front camera. The powerful combination of 8MP AI-enabled Super Wide-Angle camera, a 5MP Depth camera and an upgraded AI algorithm allow for a wider 120 degrees view that results in better picture composition. The powerful hardware is complemented with AI to make professional photo-taking a breeze. The all-new AI Super Night Mode makes shaky night shots a thing of the past, as consumers can now capture amazing night scenery without a tripod or a DSLR camera. The AI Super Night Mode can instantly take multiple photos at different exposure. It also brilliantly combines them to greatly improve brightness and clarity allowing night scenes to be captured with great detail.

Get Your Game on with Game Mode 5.0

We know you love mobile gaming, so we made it more enjoyable with Game Mode 5.0. Play e-sports like a pro by entering Competition Mode, which allocates system resources that prioritize your game’s performance. And when it comes to speed, Dual-Turbo is the lightning-fast feature gamers need. It ensures smooth gameplay and reduces frame-drop by 300%, giving you the most enjoyable gaming adventure imaginable.

Product Shots

V15 Pro 8GB Variant – Link

V15 Aqua Blue Variant – Link

TechnoBind Announces Strategic Tie-Up with ESET for SMB's

TechnoBind, India's first specialist distributor for data and associated domains, today announced a new strategic agreement with ESET, a global leader in cyber security, to distribute ESET's award winning enterprise solutions.

With the boom of 'Digital India' - a flagship initiative launched by Government of India, to make citizens digitally connected, we can see a great push of digitization in SMB space. Organizations should deploy a full-fledged endpoint security stack with advanced threat detection and attack prevention mechanisms. This partnership will give organizations as well as individuals' access to complete endpoint security solutions, among a myriad of other solutions, to secure critical data.

Mr Parvinder Walia, Sales and Marketing Director for ESET Asia Pacific and Japan said, "We are delighted to be partnered with TechnoBind for our endpoint security solution. India is a critical market for ESET, with a massive potential for cybersecurity solutions. We believe Technobind's hybrid distribution model will help strengthen ESET's go-to-market strategy, as well as reinforce the channel network in India."

With the extensive understanding of current market scenario and having technical skills to address the disruptive security challenges, TechnoBind aligned with ESET to deploy overall endpoint security product lines. This partnership helps TechnoBind to deep dive into SMB market, not only in the metro cities but also foray into Tier - 2 cities.

Speaking on the tie-up with ESET, Mr Prashanth G J, CEO at TechnoBind said, "ESET has been a leader in offering endpoint security solutions for the SMBs and individuals. We are excited to announce the partnership with ESET and strive to maximize ESET's Endpoint security portfolio presence across various verticals. We strongly believe this association will yield us good results this FY."

TechnoBind has achieved significant milestones in the technology distribution market by defining the next-gen IT deployments for organizations. With its well established channel community, TechnoBind will help ESET to penetrate the untapped verticals and regions, assisting its product presence across various verticals.

Adani School Children Present Handwritten Letters on Mother’s Day

On the Mother’s Day, thousands of children in Adani Foundation-run schools across India got innovative to express their love. They got down writing it down on a piece of handwritten letter each on how they felt about their mothers.

A total of 2217 students from five schools took part in the exercise. Adani Vidya Mandir Ahmedabad, Adani Public School Mundra (Gujarat), Adani Vidyalaya Kawai (Rajasthan), Adani Vidya Mandir Surguja (Chhattisgarh) and Adani Vidyalaya Tiroda (Maharashtra) took up this innovative way to celebrate Mother’s Day.

Children were free to choose a language of their choice and comfort as the love for a mother is universal and it transcends any barrier of languages.

Deliberately, children were not influenced or briefed on how to articulate their feelings. The objective was to allow them express their genuine love in their own unique ways.

Students from class 3 to 8 participated in the campaign.

A few children had brought photographs of their mothers, which they pasted on the top of blank papers and then started penning down their feelings.

After the exercise, the children went home with the letters to show it to their mothers as a unique way to express their gratitude and love on the Mother’s Day.

“Mothers are superwomen but often it is difficult to express our love and gratitude in simple few words. Hence, celebrating Mother’s Day in such an innovative way is a great opportunity for our students to show gratitude to their mothers. It also teaches them the charm of handwritten expression which is becoming a lost art in today’s digital age,” said Ms. Shilin R. Adani, Trustee, Adani Foundation. 

Amit Kumar Entertained Audiences at Omkar Music Fest 2019 in B'lore

Omkar Music Festival, a 2-day musical extravaganza concluded today at the MLR Convention Centre in Bengaluru. The second day of the musical festival was titled ‘Aati Rahenge Baaharein - Unparalleled Jugalbandi’ and featured performances from Shri Amit Kumar, celebrated Bollywood singer, son of playback legend Kishore Kumar along with Classical Vocalist and founder of Omkar Music Trust - Pt. Imam Das.

Audiences also witnessed Smt. Sromona Chakraborty, renowned singer from Satyajit Ray movies, daughter of the proclaimed Indian actress Smt. Ruma Guha Thakurta pair up as the female vocalist with Pt. Iman Das to deliver a few melodious tunes, along with RJ Swagata adding a touch of nostalgia by narrating stories behind each song.

This edition of the music festival was in aid of Elderly Care, with proceedings from the event going towards ‘Omashram Trust’, an organization dedicated to supporting and nurturing the elderly.

Omkar Music Festival was co-sponsored by YouthPhoriya and Manipal’s American University of Antigua, College of Medicine with the venue MLR Convention Centre being sponsored by Celebrations Senior Living, Brigade Hospitality. Marriott International, Whitefield were on board as the Hospitality Partner to host celebrity artists - Amit Kumar as well as Ustad Sabir Khan and his sons. Manasum Retirement Homes and Portea Home Healthcare joined the bandwagon as Gold Sponsors. The Hindu – Metroplus, Radio Fever FM and TV5 showed support by becoming the media partners in their respective capacities. Bogineni Coffee a premium coffee experience zone, Indian Music Experience Museum and Cupcake Noggins offered their generosity to be the gift partners for the artists and guests. Silver Talkies chipped in to be the Elderly Care Partner by anchoring the event and moderating the panel discussions on both days of the festival. The creative materials were the result of dedicated efforts by digital promotion partner BrewMyBrand.

The festival was promoted, marketed and put together by Shilpi’s Voice & Visuals along with Omkar Music Trust. SVV is an organization that endeavours to promote performing arts and support social causes. SVV aspires to promote Indian arts, artists as well as bridge the gap between artists and philanthropists.

LG Electronics Organizes ‘Blood Donation Drive’ Across Country

On the occasion of LG Electronics India’s 22nd anniversary, the company is extending its commitment towards the nation by organizing a mega blood donation drive across 47 cities today.

The CSR initiative is led in association with National Blood Transfusion Council (NBTC), Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Govt. of India. The blood bank partners are Army Command Hospitals, Red Cross Society of India, Rotary, Lion’s, Govt. hospitals and others.

In addition to the blood donation camps across the country, this initiative also aims in spreading the awareness about this noble gesture of donating blood. LG rolled out this initiative through radio, digital and on-ground activations at retail stores inviting Indian citizens to donate blood and become a proud life savior.

Ki-Wan-Kim MD LG Electronics India said, “We at LG understand the importance of good health. Certainly, there is a need to create awareness around blood donation and through such initiatives, we hope to bring a positive change in society. This is yet another gesture from us to showcase our deep commitment and care for the Indian society. I am thankful to all donors who came forward for this cause”.

Commenting on this initiative, Umesh Dhal, Director and CRO-LG Electronics India said, “The most valuable gift a human can give to another is Blood. We can create blood relation with other fellow citizens and build a strong bond with the nation, this gesture will make us Proud Life Saviors. This can bring real strength to our nation”.

Manoj Mohandas, Regional Business Head said, “We are extremely proud to organize this mega CSR drive in our region. Our 22 years long journey in India is a remarkable milestone. ‘Let’s create blood relations’ is a step towards sensitizing and motivating citizens for blood donation.”

This initiative further strengthens LG's core essence of 'Life's Good' and showcases brilliantly how the brand wants to reach out to those who are in need of such assistance. It allows individuals to witness the power in their hands and how collaborative efforts can help transform lives. LG is proud to initiate this droive across India. #bandwithnation

Reebok Hosted its First Night Marathon- Float-A-Thon in B'lore

A global pioneer in the running and fitness innovation space, Reebok organised its first ever night marathon - Float-A-Thon, the most exhilarating night run of the season in Bengaluru. In line with Reebok’s efforts to encourage consumers to make fitness a way of life, this innovative 5km and 10km night run was led by Reebok Running Squad and runners of the city to experience and explore a different side of Bengaluru.

Upping up the excitement quotient of the night, Float-A-Thon was graced by actors Kriti Kharbanda and Karan Tacker, who supported the attendees while participating and challenging their own limits. The event commenced with an energetic and fun Zumba warm up for the participants, followed by an adrenalin charged flag off of the night marathon.

Speaking of the night marathon, actor, Kriti Kharbanda, said, “Reebok’s Float-A-Thon was such an actioner. It was motivating to witness such great participation from Bengaluru and people eager to make fitness a lifestyle choice. I am glad to have been associated with such an exciting event.”

Sharing his experience, actor, Karan Tacker, said, “Running has been an essential part of my fitness regime. Reebok’s Float-A-Thon gave me an opportunity to share my passion with Bengaluru and it was nothing less than a spectacle.”

This unique initiative curated by Reebok brought together the fitness enthusiasts of the city to celebrate running as a choice that they have taken up along with Reebok’s Floatride- its most technologically advanced running shoe.

Driving a wave of fitness in the city, the night was an expression of fun, passion, empowerment and solidarity. Through this night run, Reebok offered an opportunity to boost and motivate the runners that brought out their boundless potential!

Canara Bank Records Narrow Losses of Rs 551 Crore Due to Lower Bad Loans During Q4, 2019

Canara Bank, India's leading PSU bank on May 10, 2019 said its net loss narrowed multi-fold to Rs 551.53 crore for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2018-19, mainly driven by lower provisioning for bad loans. The bank had posted a net loss of Rs 4,859.77 crore during the corresponding January-March period of the preceding fiscal.

"Total income of the bank during the March quarter rose to Rs 14,000.43 crore, compared to Rs 11,555.11 crore in the year-ago period," said R.A. Sankara Narayanan, MD & CEO of Canara Bank.

Total income of the bank during the March quarter rose to Rs 14,000.43 crore, compared to Rs 11,555.11 crore in the year-ago period, Canara Bank said in a regulatory filing.

For the full 2018-19 fiscal, the bank has posted a net profit of Rs 347.02 crore. There was a net loss of Rs 4,222.24 crore in 2017-18.

Total income during the fiscal was higher at Rs 53,385.30 crore as against Rs 48,194.94 crore a year earlier.

The Bengaluru-headquartered lender witnessed improvement in the asset quality with the gross non-performing assets (NPAs) falling to 8.83 per cent of gross advances at March-end 2019 compared to 11.84 per cent a year earlier, he said.

Net NPAs or bad loans stood at 5.37 per cent, compared with 7.48 per cent year ago.

In absolute-value, the gross NPAs were Rs 39,224.12 crore at March-end 2019, as against Rs 47,468.47 crore a year earlier. Likewise, the net NPAs stood at Rs 22,955.11 crore in the quarter under review, compared to Rs 28,542.40 crore.

There was also a reduction in provisioning requirement to the tune of Rs 5,120.85 crore in March quarter FY2019 as against Rs 8,762.57 crore parked aside in the year-ago period.

The overall provisioning and contingencies stood at Rs 5,523.50 crore, less than Rs 9,075.04 crore a year ago.

Canara Bank said, as per the RBI directive, it restructured as many as 41,602 MSME account as on March 31, 2019 with amount involving Rs 753.51 crore as a relief to them under Goods and Services Tax (GST).

During the quarter ended March 31, 2019, six fraud accounts were detected, amounting of Rs 704.06 crore, wherein the bank is required to provide Rs 429.87 crore, in addition to the provision of Rs 274.19 crore already provided up to December 2018, it said.

"The total amount provided during the quarter is Rs 107.47 crore, representing 25 per cent of the provision to be made. Further, the remaining unamortised provision amount is debited to other reserves, which will be amortised during first three quarters of next financial year," it added.

During the March quarter, the bank allotted 2 crores equity shares at Rs 186 each under Employee Share Purchase Scheme, the lender said.

Provision coverage ratio as on March 31, 2019 stood at 68.13 per cent, as against 58.06 per cent a year ago.

Shares of Canara Bank closed 3.21 per cent up at Rs 265.45 apiece on the BSE.