Acer India Launches Business PC at Just Rs 9999; Aims to Support Education, SMBs & Enterprises

Editorial Summary:

*The new Acer Veriton N series PCs is launched to support the immediate need of e-learning and business to go digital without high investment

*Latest Intel Dual Core/Quad-Core Processors equipped Acer Veriton N series is a space-saving and Power saving system which can easily accomplish the needs of students, education institutes and businesses

*Veriton N series comes with Microsoft Windows 10, 6 USB ports with at least 2 USB 3.1 Gen 1

*The PC comes with fully loaded specifications with security and manageability features.

 

Acer, the global PC brand, today unveiled affordable Acer Veriton N series powered by latest Intel Dual Core/Quad-Core Processors paired with 4GB RAM expandable upto 8GB and a host of connectivity options it is designed for e-learning, Small-Medium Businesses and Enterprises to help them in digital transformation. The new Acer Veriton N series comes with Microsoft Windows 10, WiFi b/g/n ac for wireless connectivity along with security and manageability features. It is an ultra-small form factor desktop with VESA mount which can fit behind a monitor easily saving space and giving a clean work desk.

Speaking on this occasion, Sudhir Goel, Chief of Commercial Business Group, Acer India said, “We are excited about the launch of the new Acer Veriton N series which is an affordable PC for meeting the rising demand of E-learning, Enterprises and Small Medium Business across all segments. With lockdown and changing business strategies, there is a need of IT products to adjust the remote working requirements. To address the immediate task of keeping the workforce functional with minimum losses in productivity, Acer India launched this product that is enterprise ready and delivers a smoother, more responsive, and fast computing experience. This launch will support the industry prediction on the rising demand for PCs in the enterprise segment for the coming quarters.”

By expanding its line-up of affordable devices, Acer India will continue to support education, enterprise and Small Medium Businesses, as part of the education and work style transformation. This performance-oriented PCs support up to two displays to maximize productivity, and 6 USB ports with at least 2 USB 3.1 Gen 1 that provide high-speed data transfer and best-in-class connectivity.

Pricing and Availability:

The Acer Veriton N series is priced from Rs. 9999 onwards and will be available at Acer E-store (https://store.acer.com/en-in/) and at over 1500 Acer channel partner stores across India. To know more write to ail.enquiries@acer.com

Omnichannel Mobile Phone Retail Brand Gabbardeals Secures Funding from Venture Catalysts

Venture Catalysts, India’s first, largest and pioneering integrated incubator and accelerator platform, has recently invested in Gabbardeals, an omnichannel O2O platform for mobile phones and accessories. The latest funding will allow Gabbardeals to ramp up its operations, expand services and forge new partnerships.

Founded by industry expert & serial entrepreneur Niraj Raka, and co-founded by seasoned professional Poonam Gugale and Piyush Raka, Gabbardeals is committed to transforming the billion-dollar unorganized mobile retail space. The company works on a unique phygital (physical + digital) model that combines the advantages of both offline and online retail, creating a win-win situation for all players – brand, retailer and consumer. The USP of Gabbardeals is that it synergizes offline and online retail to offer fast, seamless delivery of products while bringing down the customer acquisition cost for retailers.

Sharing his insights, Niraj Raka, Founder and CEO, Gabbardeals, commented, “When customers purchase a phone from an e-commerce platform, it takes at least 24 hours for the phone to get delivered. Taking into account the supply chain disruptions caused by the COVID-19 crisis, the delivery can even get delayed by a few days. Through Gabbardeals, however, customers will get their hands on the brand new phone within two hours. We have made this possible by bridging the gap between online and offline retailers. This way Gabbardeals helps e-commerce platforms to cut down their logistics costs and offline stores to acquire a larger customer base.” Bhavesh Solanki who has joined Gabbardeals will be targeting 10000+ Mobile phone sellers to sell on our platform.

Talking about the investment, he added, “We now have the cash runaway to scale our operations, develop technology and achieve sustainable growth.”

Speaking on the investment, Dr Apoorv Ranjan Sharma, Founder, Venture Catalysts, said, “Within a short span of time, Gabbardeals has emerged as a promising player in the mobile retail space. Their omnichannel approach has proven to be effective and profitable, which gives them a winning advantage. This is besides the fact that all the co-founders of Gabbardeals are dynamic leaders and have shown exceptional growth in their own capacities. We are confident that it will fulfil its vision of becoming the fastest-growing omnichannel platform for mobile phones in India and globally.”

Speaking on the occasion, lead investor Tharun Dhariwal of Dhariwal Group, said, "Brands and Customers are discovering channel for Online and Offline with regards to Price and Service respectively. Gabbardeals will be connecting chain through O2O model with the traditional retailers. We are confident on the growth of Gabbardeals with many hands joining together for the fortune of our nation. Standalone shops will be getting a new life in the current E-commerce industry. During this COVID-19 pandemic situation, Gabbardeals is the only hope to provide support many small/medium retailers to double their business."

Aalesh Avlani - Partner, Samyakth Capital said, ‘’ After speaking to a lot of mobile retailers in the market we realized that these retailers struggle with customer acquisition costs & a lack of technology. Gabbardeals has perfectly positioned itself to be a blend of traditional retail and ecommerce by empowering these mobile retailers address these challenges. The Asset-light business model of Gabbardeals will allow them to scale with minimal burn and help them focus on being profitable at a unit-economic level, a theme that has been made more prevalent post the COVID-19 pandemic’’

With a widespread presence spanning across India, Gabbardeals has already established a strong footprint in both metros and small towns. So far, it has tied up with 30+ mobile phone franchise stores. Gabbardeals has sold 26,000+ mobile phones and 17,000+ accessories, registering a gross merchandise volume (GMV) of over Rs 50 crore.

TALC Launches EQ-Based Mentoring Initiative “New Age Schooling” for the First Time in India

Key Points

* A first-of-its-kind initiative aims to impart academic curriculum along with the knowledge of Indian traditions and values of emotional sensitivity and stability

* A pioneering initiative for the academically inclined children

* A school which values emotional and intellectual safety of the child where parents are an integral part of the school

Child sensitised, well-trained, strong and intelligent teaching team with graduation and post-graduation from psychology and humanitarian science

* Takes new age schooling to unparalleled heights with its child sensitivity module

TALC (The Alternative Learning Community), India’s pioneering Child Centric initiative from an Indian entity founded by Latha Gangadharan, today announced the launch of country’s first-ever “EQ-based Mentoring Initiative – New Age Schooling”, a child centric & child sensitized education centre in Bengaluru. This unique program caters to children with both regular and special needs in the age group 4 to 18 years. Their “B-M-I” model (“Body- Mind-Intellect”) helps the child grow into a smart and happy individual with strong EQ & intellect. 

The admission of the child is based on the both the parent and the child’s abilities – the parents’ conviction and acceptance of their child’s uniqueness and desrie to be respected and understood and thereby mentored in a way that suits the child. 

At TALC, we respect and value human sentiments; we firmly believe that social and emotional involvement/engagement plays a vital role in the child’s overall development and learning. Comprising a team of experts in the area of child sensitivity, supplemented with strong research findings and a never-stop spirit, they’ve found the root of the problem to be emotional detachment from the process the child engages in, thereby negatively affecting his learning and academic progress. This is where our Child Centric education comes in, as the focus is ultimately on what matters the most – the child.

Identifying the gap in today’s education, TALC brings a new and innovative manner of delivering the NCERT curriculum and caters to the need of their children by developing their self-esteem, critical thinking and problem-solving skills. We Indians have found international success and are global leaders because of the high EQ and intellect inculcated from the early stages. Moreover, our tagline – “I am who I am! “ – reflects the very purpose of this initiative, that is to be emotionally available to each and every child and ensure they are personally understood, mentored and guided to evolve as a powerful individual with a diverse skillset. This includes certification from two boards – NIOS & IGCSE, for which they would appear for their certification exams as private candidates. TALC steps in to facilitate the child to be fully prepared for the exams with the required ground work and conceptual clarity at the highest level. 

Children with emotional difficulties tend to face challenges in learning. It is therefore TALC’s BMI model addresses this very issue. A first-of-its kind, TALC with its highly sensitized group of mentors and teachers, all from the field of humanities and psychology face only one challenge – their students never want the day to end!

Talking about the launch, Ms. Latha Gangadharan, Founder, TALC, said, “We are excited to officially launch this brand-new initiative which has been developed based on the current needs to create meaningful education that integrates not only the child and teacher but also parents and other experts who are deeply committed towards the child’s progress”.

She added, “Keeping the current situation in mind, we have taken an alternative step and introduced ‘Personalised Online Classes’ in order to provide need-based solutions to our children. Despite any obstacle that comes our way, we focus on the mission of delivering personalized, child-centric education to our students”

We understand the range of concerns that parents are facing in this pandemic situation and do not wish for the continuity of their child’s education and progress to be one of them, solidifying the mission in their hearts of delivering resourceful, quality and personalized education to their children. 

The regular classes are scheduled to commence in August 2020 and application and prospectus would be available in the TALC Administration Office until June 30th 2020. Admissions close by July 25, 2020.

Manipal Hospitals Bangalore Overcomes Hurdles, Unite to Perform a One-Of-A-Kind Kidney Transplantation

In a heartwarming case, amidst the nationwide lockdown, 43- year old patient suffering from kidney failure due to familial kidney disease was successfully treated by a team of passionate doctors at Manipal Hospitals Bangalore. The patient had multiple complications and was in urgent need of kidney transplant and required blood for the surgery.

Since the surgery was organized at short notice and collecting blood would take time, doctors at Manipal Hospitals came forward to donate blood in order to ensure seamless surgery without any hurdles and hence Dr Ravi Jangamani, Dr Vishwanath and Dr Saurabh Kishte came together for this noble cause. Nephrologist Dr Ravi Jangamani along with a multi-disciplinary team consisting of Urologists Dr Deepak Dubey, Dr. Shivashankar R and Dr. Somanna, CTVS surgeon Dr. Devananda NS and team along with anaesthesiologist Dr. Navneetan were involved in this complex kidney transplantation.

The patient, a resident of Kolkata was suffering from a familial kidney disease called Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD), leading to kidney failure. His condition worsened during the lockdown. He had huge kidneys due to ADPKD and there was no space for the kidney transplantation.

“This was one of the most technically challenging kidney transplants one can imagine. Coupled with this challenge, was the anxiety related to the Covid 19 infection around us.  The patient had diseased blood vessels and the only option was to use a synthetic graft. The technique used, was one of the firsts of its kind in scientific literature. The operation and post-operative management was possible due to a determined and tireless effort between multiple teams of doctors”, says Dr Deepak Dubey, HOD & Consultant – Urology, Robotic Surgery and Renal Transplantation, Manipal Hospitals Old Airport Road.

He also had bad blood vessels with 90% narrowing of lower Aorta leading to poor blood supply in the lower part of the body making it difficult for kidney transplantation. With all these, his condition was deteriorating with severe anemia and poorly functioning heart, needing four times week dialysis. This caused a huge financial burden on the patient as well during the lockdown period.

Dr Devananda N S, HOD & Consultant - Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery, Heart and Lung Transplant Surgery said, “This patient had unique challenges. He had low blood flow to both his legs and at the same time needed a kidney transplant. Doing one without the other would have made treatment incomplete. With our innovation and team work, we could give him the best treatment he deserved. Quality medical care is all about this”.

Dr. H. Sudarshan Ballal, Chairman Manipal Hospitals said, “This was a challenging task indeed as on one side we have doctors battling the corona crisis and on the other side, we have doctors who have displayed compassion, kindness and humanity as the doctors went beyond their call of duty to save the patient. This noble gesture by the team of doctors is especially commendable considering the pandemic, we are really proud of our doctors for their humble gesture. The kidney transplant was an extremely complex surgery and therefore was performed in two stage, in the first stage, his huge polycystic Kidneys were removed to create space for the transplant kidney. In the second stage, his bad blood vessels were corrected and kidney transplantation was done simultaneously”

Dr Ravi Jangamani, Consultant Nephrologist at the Manipal Hospital Old Airport Road said, “This is an extremely critical condition. The only solution left was removal affected kidneys to make space and correct the blood vessels and then perform the Kidney transplantation.  However, the surgery was complex and risky. We are on a nationwide lockdown battling a contagious coronavirus pandemic and hence needed to go beyond our capabilities to help and treat the patient. Along with medical challenges due to the complex nature of the disease, we also were facing logistic challenges. The lockdown leads to a shortage of blood donors and unavailability of blood in blood banks. Even though the patient’s blood group was O+, a common blood group, it was difficult to source it and perform this complex surgery.

He further added, we used the state of art synthetic graft (blood channel) to bypass the damaged aorta and restored the blood supply to lower part of the body. We used the same technique to establish a successful blood supply to the transplant kidney also. In this covid pandemic, all the precautions were taken to prevent the infection in the pre- operative, intra-operative and post-operative care by maintaining a covid free corridor. The surgery was performed successfully and was the first of its kind kidney transplantation done at Manipal Hospitals and currently the patient is stable.

Ragini, Anupama and Anushree Visit Bounce, Bodycraft, and YLG Salons as Part of Godrej Professional Suraksha Salon Program

While salons are now open in Bengaluru, citizens are seeking assurance for safety and hygiene measures at salons. This could impact footfalls for salon industry, which is already burdened with over two months of no business. To support the salon industry during these testing times and address concerns of the people, actress Ragini Dwivedi, Anupama Gowda, and Anushree visited Bengaluru’s Bounce, Bodycraft and YLG salon chains respectively. This visit was organised by Godrej Professional as part of Suraksha Salon program, aiming to support salons with safety and well-being of customers and staff along with facilitating smooth post-lockdown operations. The three actresses themselves got a haircut at Bounce, Bodycraft and YLG salons and were impressed with the safety measures adopted.

Commenting on the support for the salon industry and her visit to Bounce salon, actress Ragini Dwivedi, said, “While people do want to visit salons, they have certain inhibitions involved as salons are high on tactile communication. I wanted to understand how the salons are implementing these measures on-ground and I was thrilled with the results. Right from my entry into the salon to the end of my appointment, salon ensured hygiene protocols are not compromised. I will urge people to visit salons without any fear and support the industry when it is needed the most.”

While allowing salons to open, Karnataka’s Department of Health & Family Welfare issued standard operating procedure which salons have to strictly abide. To boost public confidence, it is important to showcase how salons have opened up with proper safety measures in place. Ragini, Anupama and Anushree experienced hygiene measures at salons first-hand through this visit organised under Godrej Professional Suraksha Salon program. Known for its hair care, colour and styling products used by salons, Godrej Professional Suraksha Salon is helping salons in Bengaluru and many other cities get back to business and providing necessary guidance, resources and updates to salon owners.

Sharing her perspective on why she chose to visit the salon, Anupama Gowda, said, “Salon chains suffered deeply with no business for more than two months. With the lockdown being lifted, there are valid safety concerns amongst people who plan to re-visit salons. Thus, I decided to personally visited salon chains and experience safety measures instituted on-ground. I was happy to see that safety is a major priority for salons and people can be rest assured of it.”

“Although the salon chains had been severely impacted owing to the lockdown, I was really happy to see hygiene for both customers and staff becoming a topmost priority for salons now. After more than two months of lockdown, it was great to have my hair taken care of by professionals. It will be a win-win experience for salons and customers when both follow safety guidelines and adhere to the new norms mandated”, added, TV star and actress Anushree.

Godrej Professional Suraksha Salon is a nation-wide program including Bengaluru, aiming to support the salon industry as it moves to the new normal. Under the program, Godrej Professional has donated 15,000 litres of sanitizers and 10,000 re-usable masks for the well-being of the stylists. In addition, it is continuing to support salons with sanitizer & disposable kits for salon safety in a non-profit manner. The brand has curated ‘Suraksha Guidelines’, a comprehensive module on safety and hygiene, co-created with an expert with more than 25 years of experience in healthcare and hospitality sanitization. To address concerns about re-starting salon operations and avail sanitisation products on priority, a Salon Suraksha helpline is also setup under the program. This program is open for the entire fraternity and will support more than 10000 salons.

Jio to Offer One Year of Amazon Prime Membership at No Additional Cost to its JioFiber Customers

Amazon has announced its collaboration with Jio, India’s largest and fastest growing digital service company, to provide JioFiber subscribers access to premium content on Amazon Prime Video app on its set-top box. In addition, Jio will offer one year of Prime membership worth INR 999 a year to JioFiber customers on Gold and above broadband plans, at no extra cost.  Through this deal, JioFiber customers can now seamlessly access the Amazon Prime Video app on their TV and enjoy Amazon’s latest and exclusive blockbuster Hollywood, Bollywood and Indian regional movies, top TV shows, stand-up comedies, kids programs, including critically acclaimed Indian and global Amazon Originals.

JioFiber customers, on Gold plans and above, can activate their Annual Amazon Prime Membership by signing in using their Amazon account or create a new Amazon account through their Jio Set-top box and by logging into MyJio app or Jio.com.  Customers who are not eligible can simply recharge with JioFiber Gold and above plan to avail the offer. Existing Amazon Prime Members can directly sign-in to the Amazon Prime Video app on their Jio Set-top-box and start watching Prime Video’s wide selection of content including critically acclaimed Indian Amazon Originals like Paatal Lok, Four More Shots Please! The Family Man, Mirzapur and much-loved global Originals like Jack Ryan, Marvelous Mrs Maisel, The Boys amongst many others.

“We are delighted to work with Jio to make Amazon Prime membership available to Jio Fiber customers” said Gaurav Gandhi, Director and Country General Manager, Amazon Prime Video India. “With the annual Prime membership consumers will have access to the full bouquet of Prime benefits - unlimited streaming of the latest and exclusive video content, free and fast shipping, access to exclusive deals, ad-free music on Amazon Music, unlimited reading through Prime Reading and mobile gaming content with Prime Gaming.  At Amazon, we constantly strive to offer customers, the best-in-class entertainment. With this launch, we will further extend the reach and access of Amazon Prime Video in India, giving more customers the experience of watching our broad selection of popular Amazon Originals, blockbuster movies, Indian as well as international shows, on their TV sets.”

“Our partnership with Amazon Prime Video opens up a new world of entertainment for JioFiber customers. Jio continues to provide an enriched experience to its customers and this tie-up enable JioFiber users avail one year of Amazon Prime membership at no extra cost” Anshuman Thakur, Head of Strategy, Jio,  said in a statement.

About Amazon Prime Video

Amazon Prime Video has the largest selection of latest & exclusive movies including Gulabo Sitabo, Thappad, Shubh Mangal Zyaada Savdhaan, Bharat, Dabangg 3, Good Newwz, Mardaani 2, Bhoot, Indian language titles including AB Aani CD, Hit (The First Case), Maharshi, Dharala Prabhu, Darbar, Madha, Sufna, Maya Bazaar 2016, Trance, Shylock, Love Mocktail, Luv Ni Love Storys, Saaho, Pattas, Professor Shanku O El Dorado, Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy, Dia, Choricha Maamla, Jallikattu, Kumbalangi Nights, Dear Comrade, Virus, Cheel Zadap, Chal Mera Putt, Triple Seat  and TV shows, stand-up comedy, biggest Indian and Hollywood films, US TV series, most popular Indian & international kids’ shows, and critically acclaimed Amazon Originals including Paatal Lok, Four More Shots Please! – Season 1 and 2, The Forgotten Army – Azaadi Ke Liye, The Family Man, Made In Heaven, Mirzapur, Comicstaan, Inside Edge Season 1 and 2, global Originals like Upload, Hunters, The Boys, Good Omens, Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, all available, ad-free, with a world-class customer experience. The service includes titles available in Hindi, English, Marathi, Tamil, Malayalam, Gujarati, Telugu, Kannada, Punjabi and Bengali.

To watch the newest releases in Hollywood & Bollywood, the latest US TV shows, kids’ favorite toons and Amazon Originals, please visit www.PrimeVideo.com or download the Amazon Prime Video app today and sign-up for an Amazon Prime membership only at ₹999 annually or ₹129 monthly.

About Jio

Jio Platforms Limited (“Jio”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited, has built a world-class all-IP data strong future proof network with latest 4G LTE technology (through its wholly owned subsidiary, Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited). It is the only network conceived and born as a Mobile Video Network from the ground up and supporting Voice over LTE technology. It is future ready and can be easily upgraded to support even more data, as technologies advance on to 5G, 6G and beyond.

Jio will bring transformational changes in the Indian digital services space to enable the vision of Digital India for 1.3 billion Indians and propel India into global leadership in the digital economy. It has created an eco-system comprising of network, devices, applications and content, platforms, service experience and affordable tariffs for everyone to live the Jio Digital Life. As part of its customer offers, Jio has revolutionised the Indian telecom landscape by making voice calls for Jio customers absolutely free, across India, to any network, and always. Jio makes India the highest quality, most affordable data market in the world so that every Indian can do Datagiri.

Toyota Kirloskar Motor Announces Special Financing, Buy Backs and Other Offers for June 2020

Apart from announcing ‘Special Service Schemes’ for servicing a Toyota vehicle earlier this week, TKM today shared details of finance schemes available for new car purchase for the month of June 2020.

As a special offer, all Toyota BS6 models feature finance deals that come with deferred EMI payment for upto 90 days on all purchase made this month. Additionally, the company has also announced assured buybacks on Yaris and Glanza models.

TKM has also closely worked with its finance partners to offer payment relief plans to aspiring customers. All models now come with a zero down payment option. In addition, buyers can also avail EMI scheme which is as low as Rs. 899 per lac for first 6 months, across Toyota models.  

Speaking on the unique set of offerings, Mr. Naveen Soni, Senior Vice President, Sales and Services, Toyota Kirloskar Motor, said, “Our finance schemes are in-line with TKM’s endeavor to offer innovative solutions that match the evolving expectations of our customers. As the pressures of uncertainty continue, we want to ease and encourage all car buyers to fulfill the entire family's transportation needs. We hope the finance schemes enable customers to realise their dreams with Toyota’s promise of an assured peace of mind.”