Esper Partners with Point Mobile on Lifecycle Management for Rugged Android Devices

Esper, a global leader in the Android DevOps space, has announced a partnership with Point Mobile Co., Ltd., one of the world’s fastest-growing manufacturers of rugged, handheld mobile computers. Industrial fleet managers have off-the-shelf access to the industry’s most powerful tools for Android device deployment and management on Point Mobile devices. Esper and Point Mobile want to help firms in energy, materials, and the supply chain rapidly deploy and secure Android devices. 

“Point Mobile is among the most quality-focused mobile device makers in the world. They’re a globally-leading source for rugged Android devices and purpose-built mobile hardware,” says Esper’s COO and Co-Founder Shiv Sundar. “We’re proud to announce that Esper’s cloud tools are offered as part of Point Mobile’s leading options for post-sales support.” 

“Together, we can help our customers in the supply chain, energy, and materials streamline operations and gain a competitive edge with connected Android,” says Sundar. Esper’s Android DevOps tools can reduce fleet OpEx by 60% versus traditional mobile device management (MDM) solutions by offering remote features to provision, update, and debug devices. 

“Point Mobile partners with innovators like Esper to drive our mission of transforming industry mobility,” says SK Kang, CEO of Point Mobile. “Remote Android management features significantly lower fleet operating expenses, which allows our customers to focus on transforming industrial workflows.”  

Esper and Point Mobile’s partnership was formed, in part, because both firms share a mission to provide stable, simple, and cost-effective Android mobility solutions. Point Mobile customers can gain a mobile advantage with built-in cloud tools for ultra-reliable, rugged Android devices. 

About Esper

Founded in 2017 in Bellevue, Washington, Esper is the industry’s first complete toolchain for connected Android devices like kiosks, point-of-sale, digital signage, and purpose-built hardware. Esper’s cloud console and open APIs provide the infrastructure for secure connection and real-time data exchange between Android devices and cloud.

Quarantinder How Gen Z Is Dating During Quarantine Globally

There’s a large, important, cultural shift happening - one we’ve seen for a while in Gen Z, but it’s now expanding because of COVID-19. The pandemic has accelerated a generational shift in the way we date and meet new people, and we’ve learned that connection is enduring, and despite social distancing, Gen-Z will find a way to sustain it.  

Here’s everything that happened on Tinder in the last few months. 

COVID got us to open up. 

The combination of being stuck at home and the fact that we were all going through the same thing at the same time led folks on Tinder to get chattier than ever. Globally, April 5th was the peak of this chattiness: on that day Tinder members sent an average of 52% more messages vs. the start of lockdowns in early March. 

In India, May 3rd was the peak of this chattiness: on that day Tinder members sent an average of 60% more messages vs. the start of lockdowns in early March - above the global average. 

“2020 made me realise”

To help users better introduce themselves to potential matches, Tinder recently released Prompts, a new in-app feature that lets members respond to questions or finish a sentence to display on their profile. Of all available Prompts, ‘2020 MADE ME REALISE’ had the highest adoption, signaling how much our daily lives have changed from every perspective--including how we gauge compatibility with potential matches on Tinder.

Quarantine led to creative hacks for hanging out. Social distancing turned us into creative digital daters. Forced to stay home, browsing Tinder became a way to socialize. At its peak, swipe volume* among members in India was up 32%. And with most places closed, many on Tinder looked to Animal Crossing to rendezvous. Early quarantine saw a 5x increase in Animal Crossing mentions in bios. 

Masks became the talk of Tinder. The early days of quarantine saw an uptick in mentions of toilet paper and hand sanitizer stockpiles within member bios, but come April there was only one accessory on everyone’s minds: face masks.  Members touted their own mask-wearing habits (show me your mask and I’ll show you mine”’) or looked for shared mask POV, (‘if you don’t wear a mask while grocery shopping, we’re not compatible’). 

While dating and socializing out of quarantine looks different around the world right now, hanging out on Tinder is showing no signs of letting up. 

Methodology

Data was pulled from March through May 2020

The information included in this campaign represents overall Tinder trends, not the personal information of any specific, identified individual or member. App activity, messaging, and biodata are representative of global Tinder activity between March and May 2020. When analysis references ‘at the peak of quarantine’, this refers to the highest point of a metric measured during the March-May 2020 period.

*Swipe volume/swipe activity defined as when a member swipes left or right on a profile.

Syska Group Ventures into Smart Wearables, Launches Sleek & Cool SW100 Smart Watch in India

Key Highlights:

1.  The new Smartwatch from the Syska stable will help in keeping track of one’s health & fitness routine at home

2.  With this move, Syska aim to meet the evolving needs of today’s young fitness enthusiasts

3.  Syska has collaborated with e-commerce giant Flipkart to sell this smart watch

Syska Group, the leading FMEG brand in India today announced its venture into the Smart Wearable segment with the introduction of the sleek and cool SW100 Smart Watch. The launch of this latest product from the Syska stable is a momentous one, given that the company now brings its innovation and technology prowess to an all-new industry segment. In the new normal COVID-19 scenario, maintaining good health is crucial for one’s physical and mental well-being. The new Syska Smart Watch will enable users to prioritize their health and allow them to track their fitness regimen while working out at home.

There is an increasing demand for fitness related devices in Indian market, with the smart wearable category seeing rapid growth. India's wearables market continues to see strong growth, registering 168.3% on-year growth in 2019 shipping a total of 14.9 million units of wearable devices. Smartwatches continued to lead the watch category with 61.1% share in 2019 and grew 53.6% from the previous year. The demand for wearable technology will further rise in the coming years owing to the increasing inclination toward fitness and healthcare. Syska has always been at the forefront of launching new and innovative products that cater to the evolving customer needs. The company has entered the smart wearable category at the most opportune time when individuals are looking to boost their immunity through workouts and yoga sessions at home.

Interesting features of the Syska SW100 Smart Watch –

1. Battery Life upto 15 Days – One of the main USPs of the Syska Smart Watch SW100 is that it comes with a steady battery life which lasts upto 15 days.

2. Smart Health Monitoring – Syska’s Smart watch tracks your fitness and monitors your health by providing features to monitor sleep, track step count, monitor the calories intake, track heart rate, etc. This feature is the most essential which will help you to maintain data of your fitness during such times

3. IP68 Water Resistant upto 1.5mtrs – Syska’s Smart Watch is water resistant, so you can workout seamlessly without the fear of the smart watch becoming wet due to sweat while working out at home.

4. Custom watch faces – Syska’s innovative custom watch faces allows you to customize the dial of your smart watch as per your mood and attire.

5. Yoga Monitoring – Syska Smart Watch is equipped to also monitor the yoga sessions. Consumers can keep a track their virtual yoga regimen.

6. Elliptical Workouts – Syska’s Smart watch allows you to keep a track of your elliptical workout sessions thereby accurately tracking your exercise and workouts, distance, calories burned etc.

7. Multi-Sport Mode – Syska’s Smart watch is compatible with multi-sport mode which allows you to choose your sporting activity - cycling, weight lifting, running and more.

8. Smart Notifications – Once you connect your watch to your smartphone, you can get all the notifications on your watch. This feature enables you to access your social media, calendar, important emails, etc. right on your wrist acting like a mini smart watch on your wrist, without you having to touch your phone unnecessarily.

Syska aims to disrupt the smart wearable market which is fast catching up with consumers jumping onto the fitness bandwagon. Syska’s smart watch has been designed for consumers who are looking for a device that can help them track their entire fitness journey right from tracking their sleep to monitoring their steps, heart rate, track their calorie intake etc on the go in this new normal owing to COVID-19 pandemic. The Syska SW100 Smart Watch comes along with a USB charging cable and a user manual. The product with the MRP of INR 3,999 is launched exclusively on Flipkart and will be available at an attractive offer of INR 2,499 from 30th July.

Panasonic Jaguar Racing Head To Berlin for a Lockdown Showdown

Berlin Tempelhof

* After more than 150 days, Panasonic Jaguar Racing head to Berlin Tempelhof, Germany for the final six races of season six of ABB FIA Formula E

* The pacesetting Jaguar I-TYPE 4 will line up for six races in an incredible nine days on three different track layouts for the most intense finale in motorsport history

* Mitch Evans sits second in the ABB FIA Formula E drivers’ championship

* Panasonic Jaguar Racing are third in the ABB FIA Formula E teams’ championship

* Tom Blomqvist announced as the reserve driver for Panasonic Jaguar Racing

* Lights go green for the Berlin E-Prix at 19:00 local time (CET) on 5 August

After 158 days, Panasonic Jaguar Racing will head to Germany to complete season six of Formula E in a unique lockdown showdown. Berlin’s Tempelhof circuit will witness six races in nine days with three different track layouts.

Sitting second in the drivers’ championship, Mitch Evans, and teammate James Calado will look to push for more points, podiums and wins during the ABB FIA Formula E Berlin E-Prix with the pacesetting Jaguar I -TYPE 4.

Tom Blomqvist is confirmed as the reserve driver for the remaining six races of the season, replacing Alex Lynn who will drive for Mahindra. The British-Swedish driver previously drove for the Andretti Formula E team in 2018.

James Barclay, Panasonic Jaguar Racing Team Director:

“We’re going into the final six races in Berlin in a great position. Whilst it’s going to be an  intense challenge for all of the team to complete six races in nine days we are looking forward to it and feeling positive that we are ready to give it our all to fight for the drivers title with Mitch and achieve our best result to date in the team standings. At Panasonic Jaguar Racing our season six objective was to compete for more points, podiums and wins and so far, we’ve done just that. It’s been a long break in the season, but we are hungry to pick up where we left off and finish the season successfully. The whole team has been working incredibly hard during lockdown to ensure that we maintain our positive momentum. We never underestimate the quality of our competition in Formula E though and the challenge that the team and the drivers will face in Berlin but we are fully prepared and ready to give it our all. It’s ultimately within reach so we will be doing our all to achieve our goals together.”

Mitch Evans, Panasonic Jaguar Racing Driver #20:

“This season we’ve tasted success and I am really proud of my performance, particularly in the last three races. We achieved Super Pole and a Podium in Santiago, we won in Mexico City and we made history in Marrakesh by gaining 18 places and finishing P6 after starting from the back of the grid. Being second in the drivers’ championship puts me in a good position heading into Berlin but I know I can’t underestimate the challenge that we have ahead. Our Jaguar I-TYPE 4 is incredibly quick so I’m hoping to show the everyone that we can be in the fight by 13 August.”

James Calado, Panasonic Jaguar Racing Driver #51:

“I’m looking forward to getting back into the Jaguar I-TYPE 4 at the Tempelhof circuit. I started in P10 in Marrakesh and felt like I had made some solid progress. I want to give my best performance in Berlin. My role is to support Mitch and the team and secure as many points as possible. I’m sure it will come with its challenges and this break has definitely added the pressure but I’m ready for the lights to go green and finish the season on a high.”

In less than one week, the ABB FIA Formula E Berlin E-Prix will commence, with the first race of six taking place on Wednesday 5 August at 19:00 (CET) ahead of the most intense finale in motorsport history.

TECNO Bolsters its Entry-Level Portfolio with SPARK 6 Air Smartphone and TWS Minipod M1

Technology Devices

* Brings segment first gigantic 7” Dot Notch display, massive 6000 mAh battery & 13MP AI Triple rear camera that will change smartphone experience for category consumers in under 8K segment

* SPARK 6 Air priced @ Rs. 7999 & Minipod M1 wireless earphone @ Rs. 799 will be available on Amazon Prime day starting 6th August 2020 and across offline retail outlets

TECNO, the global smartphone brand, extends its connected device ecosystem by launching today two unique products from its arsenal - SPARK 6 Air smartphone and Minipod M1 single-ear wireless earphone – effectively ramping up its portfolio in the entry level consumer segment. With SPARK 6 Air, TECNO is also back to doing what it does best – break the mould with segment first features that will enable the company to consolidate its position among top smartphone players in the sub-10k segment.

Commenting on the simultaneous launches, Mr. Arijeet Talapatra, CEO, TRANSSION India said, “With work from home becoming the ‘Neo Normal’, our aim is to extend TECNO’s connected device ecosystem to our category consumers by introducing Minipod & Hipods that will make work and play seamless and enjoyable for them. We, at TECNO, currently have a clear goal in mind of bringing exceptional devices in the sub-Rs. 10,000 segment which empower our customers with premium smartphone experience sans the premium pricing. TECNO SPARK series of smartphones is a validation of the same. Our latest offering TECNO SPARK 6 Air will play a key role in the budget segment as it becomes the first and only smartphone with 7” HD+ Dot display and a 6000 mAh battery. This device will set the trend of bigger display and best battery smartphones in the category.”

Nishant Sardana, Category Leader – Mobile Phones, Amazon India said “Since their launch in India, TECNO has consistently brought quality products for value seeking customers. With the launch of SPARK 6 Air smartphone and TWS Minipod M1, we continue to build a strong portfolio in the mobile phones & accessories category providing customers with vast selection, unmatched value, fast & reliable delivery and a great shopping experience.”

SPARK 6 AIR

SPARK 6 Air is launched with two segment first features – a gigantic 7” HD+ dot notch display with more than 90% screen-to-body ratio for immersive viewing experience and a massive 6000 mAh battery with the ability to power TECNO SPARK 6 Air to provide whopping standby time of 743 hours (31 days), 31 hours calling, 21 hours’ internet and wifi, 159 hours music playback, 14 hours game playing and 19 hours video playback.

The new smartphone houses a triple camera set-up with a 13 MP Primary Sensor Supported with an aperture of F1.8, AI Lens, 2 MP Depth Sensor and Quad Flash, enables one to capture clearer pictures even in a low light. The Bokeh Mode, Auto Scene Detection, AI Beauty Mode and AI HDR Mode, enhances the photography experience. The SPARK 6 Air has an 8 MP AI Selfie camera with F2.0 aperture and dual front flash.

The SPARK 6 Air is armed with a fast and secure 0.15 second Smart Fingerprint Sensor and Face Unlock 2.0, enabling one to keep their data safe and secure. The Smart fingerprint sensor enables one to perform functions like receiving and recording calls, taking photos and dismissing alarms. The Face Unlock 2.0 tightens the security on your smartphone by preventing the smartphone from getting unlocked with eyes closed.

SPARK 6 Air is also equipped with a unique audio sharing feature that allows consumers to connect two Bluetooth earphones or three Bluetooth speakers simultaneously to the phone and spruce up family time with music and entertainment – a perfect solution for a much-needed family time in times of self-isolation.

Spark 6 Air will be available in three color variants: Comet Black & Ocean Blue

Minipod M1

The power-packed Minipod M1 houses a 50 mAh battery in the earpod and provides 6 hours of music playback in single charge, and together with the 110 mAh charging case, it provides for more than 18 hours of music to be enjoyed. Encrypted with the latest Bluetooth v5.0, Minipod M1 ensures a stable connection and smooth audio transmission. The hands-free Minipod M1 is also equipped with Environment Noise Cancellation (ENC) technology that blocks ambient sounds to provide an immersive listening and clear voice calling experience. Smart Touch Controls allows for accepting or rejecting calls, changing tracks or activating voice assistant with a single tap of the finger. It also comes with IPX4 protection to provide protection from water and sweat. TECNO Minipod M1 will be available in white and comes accompanied with multi-colored silicone protective cases and snap hook.

About TECNO Mobile

TECNO Mobile is a premium smartphone brand from TRANSSION Holdings. Upholding the brand essence of “Expect More”, TECNO is committed to giving the masses access to latest technology at accessible prices, allowing the consumers to reach beyond their current limitations and uncover a world of possibilities. TECNO understands the needs of consumers from different markets and provides them with localized innovations across a product portfolio featuring smartphones, tablets, and feature phones. TECNO is a major global player with presence in around 60 emerging markets across the world. It is also the global Official Tablet and Handset Partner of Manchester City Football Club. 

Worldmark Aerocity Re-Opens its Doors to Renewed Contactless Dining Experience Driven by Innovation

Contactless dining: 

* ‘The Walk’ opens its doors to fine dining with strict protocols for safety and introduction of contactless dining through QR code menus

* Innovation for safety: Keeping in tandem with the times, the requirements for sanitisation and hygiene has led them to develop innovative solutions to ensure a safe environment for all visitors

* Crowd management: The need for crowd management for their commercial spaces led them to venture into practices ahead of time to meet social distancing norms

As Delhi-NCR slowly unlocks itself in phases, Bharti Realty’s Worldmark  Aerocity is leading the commercial sector in innovative dinning-in experience by setting forth examples through its avant-garde solutions to COVID-19 challenges. They are leading the way in hygienic practices of retail food establishments to provide a contemporary, safe and hygienic environment to all diners.

Worldmark Aerocity’s ‘The Walk’, home to some of the top gourmet restaurants, cafes, and bars in Delhi-NCR, is following a strict repository of measures to ensure a comfortable and convenient dining experience for its customer. This is being done while maintaining its upscale dining standards of providing world class food through contactless dining. 

One of the crucial steps of contactless dining being followed by the restaurants is doing away with paper menus. They are instead offering QR codes that diners can scan using their smartphones at their respective tables and view the menu. They are also offering contactless digital payment options for both dining and takeaways. The restaurants are focusing on efficient crowd management through measures like reduced dining capacity, rearrangement of tables and pre-bookings. 

Tackling the challenges of COVID-19 with innovation, ‘The Walk’ has installed contactless kiosks at its entry points that will offer no-touch temperature screening and sanitizer dispersion. To ensure social distancing norms, escalators have been marked in three-step gaps. 

These innovations to the fine-dining experience are being maintained at both standalone restaurants and the food court of the curated food hub. These guidelines are part of a comprehensive SOP by ‘Bharti Care’, the facility management function of Bharti Realty, issued to all functioning establishments to operate responsibly. 

The video link for Worldmark Aerocity demonstrates the preparedness:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CDQVi3XgI4t/?igshid=88ydtapub85f

ABB’s New Analytics and AI Software Helps Producers Optimize Operations in Demanding Market Conditions

The ABB Ability Genix Industrial Analytics and AI Suite is a scalable advanced analytics platform with pre-built, easy-to-use applications and services. It collects, contextualizes and converts operational, engineering and information technology data into actionable insights that help industries improve operations, optimize asset management and streamline business processes safely and sustainably.

Analyst studies suggest that industrial companies typically are able to use only 20 percent¹ of the data generated, which severely limits their ability to apply data analytics meaningfully. ABB’s new solution operates as a digital data convergence point where streams of information from diverse sources across the plant and enterprise are put into context through a unified analytics model. Application of artificial intelligence on this data produces meaningful insights for prediction and optimization that improve business performance.

“We believe that the place to start a data analytics journey in the process, energy and hybrid industries is by building on the existing digital technology – the automation that controls the production processes,” said Peter Terwiesch, President of ABB Industrial Automation. “We see a huge opportunity for our customers to use their data from operations better, by combining it with engineering and information technology data for multi-dimensional decision making. This new approach will help our customers make literally billions of better decisions.”

ABB Ability™ Genix is composed of a data analytics platform and applications, supplemented by ABB services, that help customers decide which assets, processes and risk profiles can be improved, and assists customers in designing and applying those analytics. Featuring a library of applications, customers can subscribe to a variety of analytics on demand, as business needs dictate, speeding up the traditional process of requesting and scheduling support from suppliers.

Scalable from plant to enterprise, ABB Ability™ Genix supports a variety of deployments including cloud, hybrid and on-premise. ABB Ability™ Genix leverages Microsoft Azure for integrated cloud connectivity and services through ABB’s strategic partnership with Microsoft.

“The ABB Ability™ Genix Suite brings unique value by unlocking the combined power of diverse data, domain knowledge, technology and AI,” said Rajesh Ramachandran, Chief Digital Officer for ABB Industrial Automation. “ABB Ability™ Genix helps asset-intensive producers with complex processes to make timely and accurate decisions through deep analytics and optimization across the plant and enterprise.

“We have designed this modular and flexible suite so that customers at different stages in their digitalization journey can adopt ABB Ability™ Genix to accelerate business outcomes while protecting existing investments.”

A key component of ABB Ability™ Genix is the ABB Ability™ Edgenius Operations Data Manager that connects, collects, and analyzes operational technology data at the point of production. ABB Ability™ Edgenius uses data generated by operational technology such as DCS and devices to produce analytics that improve production processes and asset utilization. ABB Ability™ Edgenius can be deployed on its own, or integrated with ABB Ability™ Genix so that operational data is combined with other data for strategic business analytics.

“There is great value in data generated by automation that controls real-time production,” said Bernhard Eschermann, Chief Technology Officer for ABB Industrial Automation. “With ABB Ability™ Edgenius, we can pull data from these real-time control systems and make it available to predict issues and prescribe actions that help us use assets better and fine-tune production processes.”