Christmas Gaiety in Full Swing at Phoenix Marketcity with Christmas Tree of 75 ft Tall

Festivals are always fun, and the most magical of them all surely is Christmas. The excitement is palpable in the chilly December air of Bangalore as stars begin to appear everywhere and everyone, old and young alike, get set to welcome Santa with carols, goodies and merry making. Phoenix Marketcity is all set to take your celebrations to a whole new level this year with grand festivities lined up.

Phoenix Marketcity Bengaluru launched The World of Christmas Season 2 on 6th December with the Unveiling of the tallest Christmas Tree in the country!

The stunning installations featured handmade, larger than life celebratory figurines made in fiberglass. Each of these figurines have been hand-cut and painted by Spanish artist Manolo Rubio. The icing on the cake though, is of course the installation,

Yet another highlight of the World of Christmas at Phoenix Marketcity is the European Christmas Market which will also be inaugurated on the same day. The unique market will feature well over 1,00,000 exquisite Christmas merchandise from across the globe. There’s everything you can imagine here, from Christmas trees, Santa Claus toys, sparkling baubles and beautiful tinsels to snowflakes and icicles, artistic Christmas balls, handmade décor, stockings, wooden birds, home décor lights and tons more. So be sure to come prepared to shop like never before for irresistible Christmas goodies for your loved ones.

Adding to the merriment of the festivities, this year Phoenix Marketcity brings you a regal and enchanting experience inspired by the 'Fallas' design style with renowned Spanish installation artist Manolo Rubio and Surreal Design Studio.

The inauguration ceremony featured a headbanging live performance by the band 2 BLUE as they paid tribute to AC/DC & Guns N’ Roses.

What is Christmas gaiety without good old Santa Claus joining in on the fun and festivities. Santa will be there to welcome every visitor to Phoenix Marketcity and will spread the festive spirit by handing out presents to little ones.

ASUS India Opens ASUS Exclusive Store in Uttam Nagar, New Delhi

Technology giant ASUS India announced the launch of its state-of-the-art new store in Delhi. Jignesh Bhavsar, National Sales Manager, ASUS India and Mr. Udip Sikri, Owner of store inaugurated the ASUS Exclusive Store today. The store is set to host an extensive range of electronics and computer hardware, including the brand’s flagship products such as VivoBook, ZenBook, Zenbook-Flip, Zenbook Duo and Republic of Gamers (ROG) laptops. The brand’s new ASUS Exclusive Store is located at ‘New Berco Electronics, Shop No A-1 RajRani Market, Mani Najafgarh Road, Uttam Nagar metro pillar No:-664, New Delhi, 110059.’

The new store launch is part of ASUS’ vision to expand its market presence across different market tiers, by opening 100 stores before the end of this financial year. The store will give users easy access to brand’s latest and flagship products. Interested customers can simply walk in and experience the innovation-led all new products of ASUS, including VivoBook, ZenBook, Zenbook-Flip, Zenbook Duo and Republic of Gamers (ROG) laptops.

Commenting on the store launch, Mr. Arnold Su, Business Head - Consumer, Commercial and Gaming PC, Asus India said, “We are extremely delighted to announce the launch of ASUS store in Delhi. With the new store launch, we have successfully propelled on our vision of opening 100 new stores before the closing of this fiscal. Asus is reinventing retail technology to move the industry and customer experiences into the future. Interested users can simply walk in the store and get their hands on the innovative and cutting-edge products by ASUS.”

In addition to ASUS Exclusive Stores, ASUS also has a strong customer connect through other large-format stores, such as Reliance Digital and Croma. Contributing to its swelling retail network are a few thousand resellers spread across 600 districts in India. Besides, the onsite service footprint of ASUS covers well over 20,000 pin codes in India. In addition to offline connect; ASUS has actively collaborated with e-commerce platforms like Flipkart, Amazon and Paytm Mall to reach out to ambitious users who wish to own the best of industry-leading cutting-end innovation. 

Hindware Appliances Brings Out its New Product Portfolio of IoT Based Products in Indian Market

Hindware Appliances launched a futuristic range of intelligent and connected ‘iPro’ range of products, marking the company’s foray in the fast-emerging Internet of Things (IoT) segment.

With an aim to deliver an enhanced ‘Consumer Experience’ backed by cutting-edge technology, ‘Achelous Premium iPro’ water purifier, ‘Optimus iPro’ chimney and ‘Ondeo Evo iPro’ water heater were launched. The premium products are developed keeping in mind the early adapters and evolved users in smart home automation. Each of these smart appliances can be seamlessly managed through Hindware Appliances app and it will assist users in operating, monitoring and controlling the products remotely, auto diagnose and troubleshoot and register service requests at the touch of a button.

At the launch, Mr. Rakesh Kaul, CEO & Whole Time Director, Somany Home Innovation Limited (SHIL), said, “With the objective of enriching our consumer’s lifestyle, we have introduced a range of products to give more power in the hands of consumers. We are committed to bring connected living powered by IoT to Indian consumers and are paving the way towards building truly Smart Homes. Each of these products are designed to simplify lives with smart automation while offering unparalleled features.”

“At the same time, our Hindware Appliance app offers centralized control through one simple mobile interface, giving real-time access to users from the convenience of their smartphones – anytime and anywhere, thus setting a new standard for connected living,” Mr. Kaul further added.

Currently, Somany Home Innovation Limited (SHIL) has a network of over 9,250+ retailers and modern retail outlets, 575+ trade partner network and +200 distributors. With a strong focus on product innovation and R&D, SHIL has filed for 15 new patents across various product categories since its inception and is one of the fastest growing Consumer Appliances company in India.

Achelous Premium iPro is a state-of-the-art water purifier, equipped with revolutionary ‘Flosense Technology’, India’s first RO membrane life alert (patent applied) feature & Real-time filters alert (patent applied) features which display the actual status of the RO membrane and real-time balance life of other filters. The inbuilt intelligent sensors can smartly fill the outside water jug without any manual intervention. This water purifier provides hot, warm and ambient water and is available at INR 27,990.

Powered by the Maxx Silence Technology, Optimus iPro Chimney is crafted to deliver a powerful suction at extremely low noise and thus, enhance user experience especially for the Indian kitchen. The chimney is available in two sizes, 60 cm and 90 cm, at the price point of INR 44,990 and INR 48,990 respectively

The ergonomically designed and stylish Hindware Atlantic Ondeo Evo iPro water heater has a beautifully contrasting touch key display with LED icons that shows different operating modes, and works on Wi-Fi. It comes equipped with 3 pre-set heating modes and all new Auto Fresh Cycle which enables the water heater to maintain hygiene and be bacteria free by heating the tank up to 80°C. The Shower Ready Mode makes consumer’s life easier as it shows the time for water to be heated. Ondeo Evo iPro is available at INR 18,000.

The IoT enabled water heaters and water purifiers will be available at select Croma and Reliance Digital stores and Chimney at select exclusive Hindware galleries.

SEMrush Hosts India's Biggest International Digital Marketing Show for 1500 Audience in Bangalore

Highlights

* With 40 powerful speaker sessions and panel discussions, the conference engaged with an audience of over 1500 people

* 4 dedicated stages for marketers divided in segments - Growth, SEO, Online Ads and Workshops

* 14 hours of intensive networking to bring the best minds in digital marketing together

SEMrush, the leading online visibility management platform hosted the biggest International Digital marketing show in India today at the Sheraton Grande Whitefield Hotel & Convention Center. SEMrush Marketing Show brought together insightful keynotes, expert panels, workshops, best practice for growth in digital marketing - all in an absolutely dynamic networking set up.

The event witnessed power packed speakers from notable international brands including MicrosoG, LinkedIn, Zoho.com, Uber Eats, Nykaa, and OLX sharing first hand insights on improving digital marketing strategies, building traffic, expanding brand awareness and everything a marketer should know to be prepared for 2020.

According to the participants, among the most popular sessions were the following:

* Audiences, Ads, and AI: Top Tips for Future-Proofing Your PPC by Purna Birji, MicrosoG

* Marketing in 2020 - Why businesses should kill the Funnel and focus on the Flywheel by Shahid Nizami, Hubspot

Key to scale - how to build your own business from scratch by Vargab Bakshi, Shopify India

Olga Andrienko, Head of Global Marketing, SEMrush commented, “Through this event, we have created a platform for all marketing professionals to come together to share principles and skills of digital marketing techniques. The workshops have seen tremendous response and with plenty of networking opportunities, it was the perfect place to learn new tactics and check them out in real business cases with LinkedIn, Google and SEMrush speakers. The most encouraging was to see that everything shared on the conference can be transferred into the real plan of actions in 2020 to stay on top of the business. We’re happy to support Digital India initiative with that one of a kind event for local marketers”.

Nasscom Foundation Unveils New CSR App with Digital Project Management Tools

Vodafone Idea’s CSR arm Vodafone India Foundation in partnership with NASSCOM Foundation Wednesday launched a digital project management tool for the non-profit sector at ‘Tech for Good Summit’ in Bengaluru.

‘The Managr’, a mobile app based solution is a freely available service for NGOs and organisations in the social sector and has been developed as a part of Vodafone India Foundation’s ‘Connecting for Good’ programme, along with NASSCOM Foundation as the principal partner.

“The tool is a one stop solution for NGOs to effortlessly manage social programs, streamline processes, align resources and enhance collaboration while ensuring data security, “ read an official statement.

“Technology can help social sector improve operational efficiencies, access real time information, upscale the outreach and impact. TheManagr platform, developed under our ‘Solutions for Good’ CSR initiative, in association with the Nasscom Foundation, has been designed to simplify program and fund management processes for NGOs, ” said P. Balaji, Chief Regulatory and Corporate Affairs Officer, Vodafone Idea.

India’s Vedantu, Hike Emerges As 2019’s Best Essential Apps on Google Play

The Annual Google Play Awards entered fourth year as it continued to recognize the best apps across different categories on the Google Play Store. These awards are a real boost for the app developers to be recognized by the industry especially the developers based in India. Across several Made in India apps that have stood out in these awards across different categories, two such apps are Hike and Vedantu. These apps have stood out in the Everyday Essential Apps Category of Google Play Awards 2019 along with global apps such as Spotify.

These apps have stood out basis the experience offered, and impact created in the lives of the users, encouraged community building, and offered an enhanced experience. Let’s quickly have a look at our new favorite go-tos awarded by Google Play Awards 2019:

Vedantu:

Vedantu is India’s leading, LIVE interactive online tutoring platform for students from 6th to 12th grades, with a focus on all major subjects (Math’s, Science, Social, English) and school boards (CBSE, ICSE, IB). Offering individual and group classes delivered by experienced teachers in a LIVE real-time model, Vedantu’ s vision is to reimagine and evolve the way teaching and learning have been happening for decades. By combining the quality of 500+ teachers, personalized and engaging content with superior technology, it is creating a greater learning experience for students and aiding in the improvement of student learning outcomes across 1000+ cities and 30+ countries.

Vedantu’s W.A.V.E platform has been granted an IP Patent for ‘Measuring the Effectiveness of An Interactive Online Learning System’ that helps teachers in identifying a student’s attention level, increases student-teacher interaction, doubt-solving, participation in gamified quizzes, and customization of teaching patterns owing to constant feedback. Owing to these capabilities Vedantu has achieved LIVE classes of 1 million hours till date that have been highly engaging and interactive for all its learners.

Hike:

Hike is happy to share that Hike Sticker Chat has been recognized as one of the ‘Best Everyday Essential Apps’ of 2019 by Google Play. In its 4th edition this year, Google Play Awards felicitated some of the most popular & user-friendly apps delivering a superior experience. Chosen from millions of apps, Hike Sticker Chat also had the honor of being one of the few homegrown apps highlighted across categories.

Hike remains grateful for the continued encouragement and support from its consumers, who remain the focus for all innovations at Hike. Built at the intersection of Art & AI, Hike Sticker Chat strives to supercharge user expression beyond the keyboard enabling a hyperlocal and hyperpersonal user experience. As one of the only players leveraging AI & ML for local languages at a mass scale, the company recently launched HikeMoji for its users. Tailored to offer a local flavor, HikeMoji allows users to choose from 1000+ components integrating hyperlocal clothing, hairstyles, accessories as well as access to 100+ exclusive HikeMoji stickers.

Hike’s vision is to build a new social future with joyful products that are built around the consumers & not the other way around. Creating radically unique products at the intersection of Art, AI, Product, Design & Engineering, Hike is all set to take the user experience to the next level in 2020.

Other Apps includes Boosted (Productivity and Time tracker apps), Ok Credit (Accounting App), Spotify (OTT music streaming app).

Tekla Festival – A Swedish Initiative Inspires Woman of Next Gen into the World of STEM Held in Mumbai

On the occasion of the State Visit by Their Majesties King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden, Team Sweden, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, FICCI Ladies organization and Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog organized the Tekla Festival on December 4 & 5 in Mumbai.

India and Sweden have long-standing diplomatic and trade relationships. Both countries are committed to the '2030 Agenda' and have respectively played important parts in shaping the goals.  Whilst Sweden is the first country in the world to pursue a feminist foreign policy, India actively works towards achieving the fifth Sustainable Development Goal (‘Gender Equality’) for example through girls’ education and increasing female labour force participation.

Ms. Sigbritt Karlsson, President of KTH Royal Institute of Technology said “Even in tech-savvy Sweden, we struggle to engage females in technology. The mission to attract more women and girls to STEM studies and careers is about tapping into as much human talent and potential as possible. The longer this imbalance persists, the more society loses. Encouraging an early interest in technology cuts a path toward strengthening our society and ensuring that our university can develop competence and produce research at the highest possible levels.”

Encouraging a girl's early interest in technology cuts a path toward strengthening our society and ensuring that the initiative can develop competence and produce research at the highest possible levels. The Tekla Festival was founded by Swedish recording artist Robyn 2015 in partnership with KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm with the aim of getting more & more girls involved in STEM.

“Tekla is a Swedish initiative, but the values of Tekla are universal. The global gender gap within the tech world represents lost opportunities for millions of girls and women. But it’s not only a question of gender equality. Surveys show that the economy will grow if women get to contribute. Our mission is to attract more girls and women to participate in the tech sector. For the benefit of us all,” Ms. Madeleine Sjöstedt, Director-General of the Swedish Institute added.


This year, under the guidance of Caroline Dahl, PhD, Technology Innovator at RISE, Chairman at Stockholm Makerspace and Board Member of Makers of Sweden the Tekla organized a workshop, where girls of age between 11 and 15 from schools of Mumbai took opportunity to explore, learn and enjoy STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).

“It is important to introduce girls to different kinds of technologies and logistics for them to both explore and work in STEM. Tekla’s vision is to make girls learn about electronics.” Ms. Dahl said.’

The workshop was followed by Tekla and Gender Parity Dialogue on underrepresentation of women in technology and ways of empowering women and girls within the STEM sector with key speakers including Ms Caroline Dahl, Madeleine Sjöstedt - Director General of the Swedish Institute, Ms Harjinder Kaur Talwar - President of FICCI-FLO, Ms Ylva Berg - CEO of Business Sweden, Ms Anjali Raina - Executive Director of Harvard Business School, Ms Ingrid Eelde Koivisto - Secretary General and Founder of Pratham Sweden, Mr Peter Betzel - CEO of IKEA India and Ms Srimathy Kesan - PhD, Founder and CEO of Space Kidz India.