SRL Diagnostics Expands Its COVID Testing Capacity in South, Augments RT-PCR Testing Facilities in Bengaluru

In an effort to expand the COVID-19 testing capacity, SRL Diagnostics – one of India’s leading diagnostic chains – has augmented Covid-19 test by RT-PCR technique in Bengaluru. The COVID testing laboratory is located in Bannerghatta Road. SRL has been accredited by National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) for COVID-19 RT-PCR testing in Bengaluru. This is the eighth RT PCR lab that has been set up by SRL for COVID-19 testing in the country. The facility was already equipped with CB NAAT for COVID-19 testing. Further, to speed up the testing process in Southern part of the country, the diagnostic chain is also planning to set up similar facilities in Chennai and Hyderabad by the end of this month.

Sharing details about the expansion, Mr. Anand K, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), SRL Diagnostics said, “As the country continues to grapple with COVID-19 and its far-reaching implications, and with no specific treatment options available to combat the disease, extensive testing is of paramount importance. In Bengaluru, we have been conducting COVID testing through GenXpert CBNAAT, however, now with our RTPCR facility, we will be able to serve more residents of Bengaluru in these unprecedented times. Being one of the largest diagnostics chain in the country, we are committed to the fight against the virus and hence will continue to take necessary actions in ensuring accessibility.”

As per the ICMR protocol, the documents required for the test are a duly filled ICMR form, a doctor’s prescription seeking COVID-19 test and the patient’s Aadhaar card. Test results would be available within 12 to 24 hours and the prices would be as per Government notified rates in the state. Home collection facility is also available in Bangalore and the bookings can be made using SRL Diagnostics’ dedicated phone lines 8088901745 and 080-26633130.

SRL is also conducting Rapid Antigen Detection test and Antibody tests for Covid 19 in Bengaluru. While Rapid Antigen test is nasopharyngeal swab test for diagnosis of Covid-19, the Antibody test of Covid-19 is a blood test primarily used for sero-surveillance.  

About SRL Diagnostics

SRL Diagnostics is one of the leading diagnostic chains in India providing quality service via an efficient network of labs and customer touch points spread across 600+ Cities, 30 States and Union Territories. Rooted in our 25-year legacy of Accuracy, Transparency, Empathy and Innovation, we take pride in helping our customers on their path to better health by providing them the services of the highest quality through innovative and sustainable processes. The company has the largest number of NABL and CAP accredited labs in the country, serving close to 13 million customers, conducting more than 30 million tests annually via an extensive network of 400+ labs including two global reference labs in its network - Mumbai and Delhi/ NCR and 2 Regional Reference labs in Bangalore and Kolkata. Today, SRL employs more than 6,000 people, most of them who are doctors, PhDs, scientists, and technical staff, striving every day to deliver solutions that help make people healthier. SRL Diagnostics is at the forefront of diagnostics technology and expertise servicing customers through physical network of labs coupled with digital capabilities and home collection facilities. The company caters to international markets like South Asia, Africa, Dubai and other part of Middle East.

Tata Motors Rolls Out a New Limited-Period Subscription Offer on Nexon EV Till November 30

With the festive season kicking in, Tata Motors today announced a special ‘Electrifying Subscription’ offer on the Tata Nexon EV, for a limited-period, till November 30, 2020. Available for the first 100 subscribers only, this attractive offer allows customer to avail India’s best-selling electric SUV at an all-inclusive fixed rental starting at just Rs. 34,900/- per month, without the hassles of traditional vehicle ownership such as road tax and registration, insurance renewals, servicing and maintenance. Discerning customers can select the tenure of their subscription from a minimum period of 12 months to 24 and 36 months. This service is being offered in 5 major cities - Delhi/NCR, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad and Bengaluru.

Offered in partnership with Orix Auto, this subscription package includes comprehensive insurance coverage, on-call 24x7 roadside assistance plus free maintenance with periodic servicing and doorstep delivery. Moreover, customers will also get a complimentary personal EV charger that can be installed at their home or office, as deemed convenient. The facility can be easily accessed online with end-to-end support available. Following the tenure of their subscription, customers can either choose to extend it or just return the vehicle.

Announcing this lucrative offer, Mr. Pankaj Jhunja, Head- Mobility Services, Tata Motors said, “We at Tata Motors are continuously striving to offer exciting propositions that are smarter, affordable and convenient, for those who desire to experience driving smooth, silent and green Nexon EV. Our new ‘Electrifying Subscription’ offer is designed with an aim to make EVs even more accessible to a rapidly growing base of future conscious citizens. It is ideal for customers preferring ‘usership’ over ownership amidst the rapidly growing phenomenon of shared economy.” 

This offer is customised and perfectly suited for corporates who prefer to lease, individuals with frequent inter-city job transfers, and expatriates who stay for a fixed tenure, among others. To subscribe for this new ‘Electrifying Subscription’ offer, please visit https://evsubscription.tatamotors.com/

About Tata Motors

Tata Motors Limited (NYSE: TTM; BSE: 500570 and 570001; NSE: TATAMOTORS and TATAMTRDVR), a USD 44 billion organization, is a leading global automobile manufacturer of cars, utility vehicles, pick-ups, trucks and buses. Part of the USD 110 billion Tata group, Tata Motors is India’s largest and the only OEM offering extensive range of integrated, smart and e-mobility solutions. It has operations in India, the UK, South Korea, Thailand, South Africa, and Indonesia through a strong global network of 134 subsidiaries, associate companies and joint ventures, including Jaguar Land Rover in the UK and Tata Daewoo in South Korea.

With a focus on engineering and tech enabled automotive solutions catering to the future of mobility, Tata Motors is India’s market leader in commercial vehicles and amongst the top four in the passenger vehicles market. With ‘Connecting Aspirations’ at the core of its brand promise, the company’s innovation efforts are focused to develop pioneering technologies that are sustainable as well as suited to evolving aspirations of the market and the customers. Tata Motors strives to bring new products that fire the imagination of GenNext customers, fueled by state of the art design and R&D centres located in India, UK, US, Italy and South Korea. Internationally, Tata commercial and passenger vehicles are marketed in countries, spread across Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, South East Asia, South America, Australia, CIS, and Russia.

MPL Raises $90 Million in Series C Funding Led By SIG, MDI And RTP

Mobile Premier League (MPL), India’s largest esports and mobile gaming platform, raised $90 million in Series C funding, led by SIG and early stage tech investor RTP Global, along with MDI Ventures and Pegasus Tech Ventures. Existing investors Sequoia India, Go-Ventures, and Base Partners also participated in this round. The investment brings MPL’s total funding to $130.5 million after previously raising $40.5 million.

MPL has been in advanced discussions with investors to raise capital from as early as January this year, before the unfortunate Covid-19 pandemic hit. Between March and now, MPL has grown over 4x and is currently the largest gaming platform in the country, having onboarded marquee titles such as World Cricket Championship.  

A pioneering gaming platform in India, MPL has grown by leaps and bounds through its strategic partnerships, offerings, and a growing user base numbering well over 6 crore users. The platform has recorded over 2 billion cash transactions on the app to date.

This capital will be used to further accelerate MPL’s dominant position in the gaming market, expand its product offering, and grow its team. The funding will also be used towards product development, with a focus on social functions such as live streaming, and audio and video content features. With this, MPL intends to capitalise on the rapidly growing online gaming trend and become the world’s largest gaming, eSports, and content platform. 

Since its founding in September 2018, MPL has added over 70 games on its platform, working with over 28 game developers and studios. MPL’s platform model, where game developers can publish their games with ease, opens up a new revenue stream where developers can monetise their game from day 1. As a result, MPL offers a plethora of gaming content to its wide userbase allowing them to choose from among esports, casual, fantasy and arcade game options.

In an era where virtual interaction continues to grow at scale, MPL provides a means to connect with enthusiastic gamers and continues to grow. Users can play a variety of games and can also create, share and monetise their own content, and connect with friends via live streaming functions. Over the past four months, the number of games played on MPL’s most popular titles has increased by more than 700%. In less than two years, MPL has signed Indian Cricket Captain Virat Kohli as its brand ambassador, sponsored two top Indian Premier League (IPL) teams - Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore - and also bagged the presenting sponsorship of reality TV show Bigg Boss, anchored by Bollywood Superstar Salman Khan.

With approximately 300 million gamers, India sits among the top five gaming markets globally. Further, there has already been a boost in online gaming in recent months, as a result of the impact of Covid-19 on society.  With social distancing measures in place, telecommuting becoming the new norm, and physical sporting events remaining limited, eSports and mobile gaming has received a boost, to create an alternate means of keeping audiences engaged at all times.

Speaking about the funding, and MPL’s growth, Sai Srinivas, Co-Founder and CEO at Mobile Premier League, said “In a short time, MPL has taken the gaming market by storm, with our various offerings and partnerships, which have helped us stand out in the industry. This latest round of funding will enable us to entertain and connect an even larger audience across India and beyond. Being able to bring quality technology, competitive spirit and enjoyment to people in such an accessible way is what keeps us excited. The online gaming industry is seeing huge and increasing engagement; with this fresh capital injection being proof of MPL’s potential to lead and transform this space.”

Galina Chifina, Managing Partner at RTP Global, an early investor, echoed Srinivas’ thoughts saying, “We invested in MPL at an early stage because we saw the team had the ability to become the dominant platform in the region's online gaming space. MPL’s growth over the past two years is a testament to the team’s vision and ability to realise this goal. Even in an environment as challenging as the current one, we are impressed with the success and accessibility of the platform concept - giving users a unique variety of experiences and social interaction. MPL’s track record speaks for itself, so we’re excited to support the team as they grow and expand."

Winston Adi, Head of Investments, MDI Ventures, said, “Gaming has been one of the largest growing entertainment industries in the world, and we believe that mobile games have contributed to the major growth of this industry, especially in Asia. As our portfolio, we are proud of what innovation MPL has to offer as they delivered competitive gaming to scale, and the result has been mind-blowing. We are excited to provide continuous support with our partners as they strengthen their position both in their home market and in our home market, Indonesia.”

Eduardo Latache, Partner, Base Partners, said, “The only thing more exciting than watching MPL grow at such a fast pace over the past year is to imagine what they will accomplish with the new capital infusion. We are thrilled to be with MPL right from the start as it becomes a major player in the mobile gaming industry.”

About MPL

Founded in 2018, MPL is India’s largest esports and mobile gaming platform. It has grown to over 60-plus games and 6 crore users, including titles like World Cricket Championship. MPL also has multiple gaming studios and developers as partners to publish their games on its platform. MPL’s app is available on both Android and iOS. The company was founded by Sai Srinivas and Shubh Malhotra, who earlier co-founded Creo, a Mobile Phone startup that was acquired. MPL is currently present in India and Indonesia, with offices in Bengaluru, Jakarta, and Pune, and with a personnel strength of over 300.

About RTP Global

RTP Global is a Venture Capital firm focused on early-stage technology investments. It supports young companies from various industries with strategic know-how and a broad global network. RTP Global has invested in over 90 companies worldwide, including 5 multi-billion public companies: Yandex, EPAM, Delivery Hero, RingCentral, and Datadog.

RTP Global was founded in 2000 under the name ru-Net by serial entrepreneur Leonid Boguslavsky, who has a PhD in Computer Science. He developed one of the leading IT integration solutions for software and hardware manufacturer Oracle, which he then sold to PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and subsequently became a partner there. RTP Global has offices in New York, Moscow and Bangalore. 

Nestlé MUNCH Brings MUNCH STAR – A Platform For Indian Youth To Showcase Their ‘Andar Ka Crunch’

 

The youth of India has always been resourceful and resilient, often using their inventiveness and confidence to make the maximum of the given situation. In today’s times, they are finding innovative ways to remain enthusiastic and bring positivity to themselves and people around them; clearly showing India ke Kone Kone ka crunch.

India’s most CRUNCHY brand, Nestlé MUNCH proudly celebrates this spirit of inventiveness and resilience in millions of young Indians and brings to them the MUNCH STAR initiative -- a unique platform to showcase their ‘Andar ka crunch’. Having celebrated the confidence and Crunch ka Attitude of young Indians, Nestle MUNCH envisions to inspire and motivate them by celebrating their Andar ka Crunch in two categories of ‘Crunchy Innovators’ and ‘Confident Performers’. 

The initiative gets launched with the roll out of a 35 second TVC where popular actor Samantha Akkineni introduces the MUNCH STAR initiative to consumers and inspires them with real life examples where resourceful and inventive youth show their Crunchy innovations such as solar umbrella that powers fans and Confident performances such as blindfolded solving of a Rubik’s cube, painting with feet while doing Bharatanatyam dance and many more. The TVC then invites youngsters from across the country to show their Andar Ka Crunch and submit their entries in either category to get a chance to become a MUNCH Star. Entries can be submitted on the brand’s Instagram page till 15th October 2020.

Two winners, one each from ‘Crunchy Innovators’ and ‘Confident Performers’ categories, will win the coveted title of MUNCH STAR and a cash prize of Rupees Five Lakh each. Ten other winners will win cash prizes worth rupees one lakh each and about 200 winners stand a chance to win exciting Amazon vouchers.

Commenting on the launch of the MUNCH STAR Initiative, Nikhil Chand, Director, Foods & Confectionery, Nestlé India, said “Nestlé MUNCH, with a range of delicious, light, affordable treats, has always celebrated the resourcefulness and inventiveness of young Indians. As our country starts to reopen, everyone has to play their part, and Nestle MUNCH plays its part with MUNCH STAR, where we aim to celebrate and showcase millions of these young Confident Performers and Crunchy Innovators, who have impacted other people’s lives with their extraordinary confident performances as well as with their cool and quirky innovations.  The fact that young indians are leading these Crunchy Innovations is reassuring that our country will emerge stronger and even more resilient. We are also hopeful that the initiative will not just provide youngsters a platform to showcase their Andar ka Crunch but will also motivate millions of others to pursue their talent.”

Excited about the association, Samantha Akkineni said “I am delighted to raise the ‘crunch’ with MUNCH Star initiative that gives youngsters a platform to exhibit their talent and innovations.”

MUNCH has also rolled out MUNCH Star emoji packs celebrating the MUNCH STAR Crunch ka Attitude, that are available across millions of outlets across India. The initiative will also be promoted across major digital and social media platforms.

Name of Advertising / Creative Agency: Wunderman Thompson, Gurgaon.

Creative Team:  Hasan Jafri, Sumonto Ghosh

Account Management Team:  Neetika Aggarwal, Amrita Hazari, Srishti S Bhatnagar

Planning Team: Shubhrojyoti Roy, Vartika Sahani, Snigdha Bose

Films Team: Mandeep Singh

Production House: Up Films

Director: Avnish K

Producer: Sujata Shukla

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr-mAm7Bf8s

TECNO Set to Change the Game in Sub-9K Smartphone Segment with the New SPARK 6 Air Variant

* The new SPARK 6 Air (3GB + 64GB) variant comes with segment first offerings of 6000mAh battery, 7” display & 64GB bigger storage at just INR 8699

* The first sale of TECNO SPARK 6 Air (3GB + 64GB) starts from 25th September, 2020 on Amazon (https://rb.gy/v8a5ow )

TECNO, the global premium smartphone brand, today rolled out a powerful new variant of the SPARK 6 Air. The SPARK series has seen a steadfast growth supplemented by TECNO’s ‘India-first’ strategy of introducing segment first features that will enable the brand to consolidate its position among top smartphone players in the sub-10k segment.  And with the SPARK 6 Air new (3GB + 64GB) variant, TECNO continues to do what they do the best.

SPARK 6 Air (3GB + 64GB) brings in unique combination of category defining features such as massive 6000 mAh battery with standby time of 30 days, 7” display, 13MP Triple rear camera and a bigger 64GB internal storage which can be expanded to 1TB with memory card, and priced aggressively at INR 8,699. The features and the price point make it a stellar offering in the sub 9K segment.

TECNO SPARK 6 Air is now available in three variants - 2GB RAM + 32 GB storage at Rs 7,999; 3GB RAM +32GB storage at Rs 8,499 and 3GB RAM +64GB at Rs. 8699. The new 64GB variant smartphone will be available on Amazon India starting from 25th September, 2020. SPARK 6 Air (3+64) will be available in three colours of Comet black, Ocean blue & Cloud white.

All TECNO smartphones come with one-time free screen replacement offer.

Key USP’s of SPARK 6 Air (3GB + 64 GB) includes:

* Gigantic Battery

Housing a jumbo 6000 mAh battery, the new SPARK 6 Air (3GB + 64GB) provides a standby of 716 hours, calling 37 hours, Internet and wifi 21 hours, Music 134 hours, game 19 hours and video playback 23 hours You can get upto 4 days of battery backup with this big 6000mAh battery

* Bigger Storage

The new SPARK 6 Air variant, runs on a Helio A25, Octa Core 1.8 Ghz processor, providing a smooth and seamless movie watching, video watching, audio listening experience. It houses a 3GB RAM and an internal storage of 64 GB which is expandable up to 1 TB with its non-hybrid triple card slot

* BIG Display for an immersive viewing experience

The SPARK 6 Air provides a segment first gigantic 7" Dot Notch HD+ display for an immersive viewing experience. The 20.5:9 aspect ratio and 720 x 1640 HD Resolution makes it the apt device for watching videos, reading, and browsing. The 480 nits brightness accentuates the brightness in sunlight.

* Superlative Camera Performance

The SPARK 6 Air (3GB + 64GB) boasts of a Triple Rear AI Camera with 13 MP Primary Sensor with an aperture of F1.8, AI Lens, 2 MP Depth Sensor and Quad Flash, enabling one to capture brighter & clearer pictures. The Bokeh Mode, AI Scene Detection, Slow Motion videos, and AI HDR Mode, altogether enhances the smartphone photography experience. It also comes loaded with additional features like Document Scan, AI Body Shaping, Beauty Mode and Google lens. The 8 MP AI Selfie Camera with dual front flash captures the perfect selfie in low light.

* Tightened security

Armed with a fast and secure Smart Fingerprint Sensor and Face Unlock 2.o, the new SPARK 6 Air, enables one to keep their data safe and secure. The Smart fingerprint sensor performs 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.

* Unique Audio Sharing Feature

The new SPARK 6 Air boasts of a unique audio sharing feature that enables one to connect 2 Bluetooth earphones and 3 Bluetooth Speakers simultaneously.

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. 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. For more information, please visit: www.tecno-mobile.com; https://tecno-mobile.in/home/#/

Zee Live Partners with Zee Studios to Launch ‘Supermoon Drive-In’ this October

Enhancing the movie-viewing experience for audiences in the new normal, Zee Live, the live events vertical of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. in partnership with Zee Studios has announced ‘Supermoon Drive In’, a first of its kind drive in theatre experience following the global standards of safety, social distancing measures and sanitization, keeping in mind the utmost safety of viewers. The drive in will also have a contact-less ticketing process along with contact-less F&B to ensure a safe environment for the movie goers.

Supermoon Drive-In will offer the finest moving-viewing experience for audience within the safety of their cars, following all the required hygiene and safety norms as advised by the Government of India. With limited out of home entertainment options available over the last six months, movie goers have been missing the excitement of catching the latest flick at a movie theatre. To cater to this need gap, Zee Live & Zee Studios will host the premieres of the Bollywood romance action film ‘Khaali Peeli’ and the Tamil drama ‘Ka Pae Ranasingam’ at its first drive-in movie festival.

To be hosted from October 2-4, 2020, Supermoon Drive In will feature 11 shows over 3 days in 2 cities. Audiences can catch their favourite films on the below mentioned location & dates:

* *Gurgaon:  Backyard Sports Club, sector 59 | 2nd -4th Oct Khaali Peeli

* *Bangalore: Phoenix Marketcity, Whitefield | 2nd-4th Oct Khaali Peeli & Ka Pae Ranasingam

Tickets available on BookMyShow and Insider.com

Speaking on the launch of the initiative, Swaroop Banerjee, COO and business head, Zee Live said, “We are excited to launch ‘Supermoon Drive In’ at a time when there is an existing dearth of authentic theatre-viewing experience. A movie outing has always been one of the most common forms of outdoor environment which the audiences were missing owing to the lockdown. We are delighted to associate with Zee Studios to bring in two very exciting movies with a talented star cast. With this partnership we aim to give our audiences the freedom to step out of their homes while maintaining the necessary safety and hygiene standards of the whole experience from the comforts of their car.”

Shariq Patel, CEO, Zee Studios added, “We are exhilarated to host the largest outdoor movie premiers in the country with the release of ‘Khaali Peeli’ and ‘Ka Pae Ranasingam’. Both these movies with its stellar cast and engaging story lines are sure to strike a chord with our viewers who were missing the grandeur of cinema experience. The entire event is going to serve as an exciting and much-needed experience for all movie aficionados.”

Trend Micro Achieves AWS Outposts Ready Designation to Deliver Seamless Hybrid Cloud Security

Trend Micro Incorporated (TYO: 4704; TSE: 4704), the leader in cloud security, today announced that its hybrid cloud security offerings have received the AWS Outposts Ready designation, part of the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Service Ready Program. This designation recognizes that Trend Micro has demonstrated successful integration with AWS Outposts deployments. 

AWS Outposts is a fully managed service that extends AWS infrastructure, AWS services, APIs, and tools to virtually any datacenter, co-location space, or on-premises facility. Teams using Trend Micro for their hybrid cloud security benefit from a truly consistent hybrid experience that combines the agility, breadth of services, and pace of innovation of AWS with seamless security protection across an enterprise infrastructure. 

Achieving the AWS Outposts Ready designation differentiates Trend Micro as an AWS Partner Network (APN) member with products fully tested on AWS Outposts. 

"We know the importance of helping customers and organizations more easily identify potential security risks in order to take action," said Joshua Burgin, General Manager, AWS Outposts, Amazon Web Services, Inc. "With Trend Micro's products available to customers on AWS Outposts, we are able to provide a comprehensive view of (a customer's) security posture on their infrastructure, on AWS Outposts, and in AWS Regions both on premises and in the cloud for a truly consistent hybrid experience." 

AWS Outposts allow organizations that must keep their data on-premise to do so with the benefits of AWS infrastructure and services. The availability of Trend Micro protection for AWS Outposts allows verticals such as government and financial services to further their digital transformation securely, while maintaining any data residency requirements. 

According to a recent report from IDC, "Trend Micro is the dominant leader in Software-Defined Compute (SDC) workload protection," making up 29.5% of the worldwide hybrid cloud workload security market share, proving the company's strength in hybrid cloud security. 

"We have proven industry leadership for cloud workloads, and we have been a member of the AWS Partner Network since 2012, making Trend Micro an obvious choice for companies throughout their journey to the cloud," said Mark Nunnikhoven, vice president of cloud research for Trend Micro. "Now with AWS Outposts, we offer full data security continuity to support customers adopting the cloud technology that best fits their business needs." 

AWS Outposts Ready products are generally available and supported for AWS customers, with clear deployment documentation for AWS Outposts. AWS Service Ready Partners have demonstrated success building products integrated with AWS services, helping AWS customers evaluate and use their technology productively, at scale and varying levels of complexity. 

To support the seamless integration and deployment of AWS Outposts Ready solutions, AWS established the AWS Outposts Ready Program to help customers identify products integrated with AWS Outposts and spend less time evaluating new tools, and more time scaling their use of products that are integrated with AWS Outposts deployments.