Paytm Launches Soundbox 2.0 & Smart POS; Targets 50 Lakh IoT Payment Devices

* Over 9 lakh merchants already benefiting from Paytm IoT devices 

* Equips over 2 Crore merchant partners to accept payments via Wallet, UPI, Cards and net-banking, helping them grow their business exponentially 

* Further enhances shopkeepers’ trust in digital payments with its new Soundbox 2.0 that provides instant voice & visual confirmation in regional languages 

* Transforms smartphones into debit & credit card payments accepting device with Paytm Smart POS for Android phones featured on it’s Paytm For Business app  

* Partners with Visa, MasterCard and Rupay for facilitating card payments for Smart POS   

* Offers the most comprehensive offline retail payment service provider catering to the needs of street vendors, tuck shops, MSMEs, logistics players, startups, food delivery services and large retailers 

* On a mission to bring 5 crore merchants into the mainstream economy and equip businesses with 50 lakh IoT devices over the next few years 

India's leading digital financial services platform Paytm today introduced its latest Internet of Things (IoT) based payment devices, Soundbox 2.0 and Paytm Smart POS for Android phones. The company that started its journey by being the pioneer of QR-code based payment technology has expanded into IoT payment devices with Paytm All-in-One Android EDC devices, All-in-One Android Pocket POS, Soundbox among others. It has built the country's largest network of over 2 crore merchant partners and has helped them grow their business exponentially by empowering them to accept digital payments via Wallet, UPI, Cards and net-banking. It continues to lead offline retail payments with over 9 lakh merchants benefiting from Paytm IoT devices. The company is on a mission to bring 5 crore merchants into the mainstream economy and equip businesses with 50 lakh IoT devices over the next few years. 

Presenting SoundBox 2.0, the latest advanced version of Paytm’s innovative IoT device that enhanced the trust in digital payments 

Paytm Soundbox has played a pivotal role in establishing digital transactions as a safe & secure mode of payments, enhancing the trust of businesses and consumers to move digitally. With this IoT-based device, merchants do not need to keep checking their mobile phones for confirmation helping in increasing efficiency and reducing queues & customer waiting time on the shop floor. Instant voice-based confirmations of payments help merchants keep track of all transactions protecting them from getting duped by customers showing fake screens and false confirmations. Small merchants with feature phones, do not need to depend upon SMS confirmations. It has also enabled smooth & seamless digital payments for home delivery as the delivery executive can get instant voice confirmation after a QR-code based payment is made using the device. 

The positive impact on the lives of small merchants and hawkers was clearly visible during a recent interaction of Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi with a woman fruit-seller Preeti. When asked about the device placed on her cart, she confidently displayed the Paytm All-in-One Soundbox explaining how it helped her to accept digital payments and get confirmation instantly. She said, "Achaa hai na? Saamne Waala Paagal Nahi banaa Sakta". ("It's good no? No one can make a fool of me"). 

With its success, Paytm has now introduced an all-new Soundbox 2.0, a 'Made in India' advanced IoT device that is powered by Paytm's All-in-One payments & reconciliation technology. This new device comes equipped with a digitally enabled screen that gives instant visual confirmation of the paid amount along with the voice-based response. Merchants can also tap the 'function button' twice to fetch the payment summary for the entire day. This device is beneficial for merchants starting from street hawkers, medium to large retailers as it helps them in maintaining records of all transactions and streamlines all payments made during the day. 

Paytm Soundbox 2.0 smart device also empowers merchants to record the net amount corresponding to the merchant's collection along with voice-based confirmation. For example, the device during the closing hour would play the following message, "Today's summary for Paytm QR code: Received 10 payments of Rs 100, done 3 refunds of Rs 20, Net amount to be settled is equal to Rs 80." It also announces when the device has a full battery life of running out of charge. The device comes equipped with a 2000 mAh battery, has a SIM card slot and can be operated without a wifi connection.  

While it is available in five languages including English, Hindi, Tamil, Telegu & Kannada, the company plans to add more regional languages including Marathi over the next few months. It comes equipped with Paytm All-in-QR, which enables merchants to accept unlimited payments at zero percent fees directly into their bank account. There are several easy payment plans which the merchant can choose from to acquire a Soundbox. Also, as it is battery operated that helps street hawkers with no stable power source to accept digital payments on the go. By incorporating technological advancements the company has brought in the next wave of digital payments in IoT devices. 

Paytm Smart POS for Android phones: Empowering merchants to accept card payments through their smartphones 

After enabling digital payments with QR-code technology and democratising financial services in the country with a host of services, the company has now launched yet another technological milestone, the Paytm Smart POS for Android phones. This application transforms a smartphone into a device that accepts debit & credit card payments just like a normal EDC machine. Supported by the Paytm for Business app, the one application to manage all business, the Smart POS enables merchants to seamlessly start accepting contactless card payments anytime, anywhere. The company has partnered with leading financial services institutions including Visa & MasterCard for facilitating card payments for Smart POS. It would soon be live with Rupay as well. 

Paytm aims to equip millions of street hawkers, small merchants, MSMEs, tuck-shop owners, kirana stores who have smartphones with this service. 

Merchants simply need to sign up on the Paytm for Business App, after which they will be required to download the ‘Paytm Smart POS’ on their Android-based mobile phones. Once downloaded, merchants can start collecting payments from their customers by tapping the card on the back of their smartphones. The payment is then successfully collected and transferred to the merchant’s account along with the other QR payments. This provides the businesses with a single-point easy reconciliation.  

Extensively used by over 1 crore merchants, the Paytm For Business app is the one application to manage all business needs, view all their transactions in one place, order Paytm QR merchandise and also transfer payments instantly to their bank accounts at any time. They can also avail multiple business services & financial solutions such as loans, insurance, among other services. 

Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Founder & CEO of Paytm said, "Paytm is committed to bringing new-age financial technologies and services to 5 crore small and micro-merchants in India. Today’s launch of Soundbox 2.0 and Smart POS for Android phones expands opportunities for small businesses to experience these latest technologies at the most affordable price. Our in-store payment offerings including the pioneering All-in-One QR are examples of the best Made in India technology." 

TR Ramachandran, Group Country Manager, India and South Asia, Visa said, “Contactless payments or tapping to pay with a contactless card or mobile device, have fast emerged as the preferred way to pay globally with nearly 60 percent of Visa transactions outside of the U.S. occurring with a tap. Paytm’s foray into the contactless card payment ecosystem will truly help propel the adoption and usage of contactless cards across India. As a pioneer of the Tap to Phone solution with EMVCo, at Visa we are particularly excited about Paytm Smart PoS’s ability to offer a seamless, convenient and interoperable solution for merchants that will help them accept payments securely from millions of contactless cards in the market” 

Dilip Asbe, MD and CEO of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) said, "Paytm has played a vital role in the country's payments revolution & has initiated the digital journey of millions of Indians. To give an example, a few days back for my local purchases, I was paying by scanning Paytm interoperable QR code using BHIM UPI. After the successful transaction, as a normal practice I asked the shop owner whether she received the payment. At the same instant, I heard “50 rupees received” and she smiled and said ‘Aunty ne bola – Aa Gaya’. I believe, this kind of frugal innovations truly connects Indian small merchants with digital payments and aids tremendously to create trust. NPCI strongly believes that our dream of enabling a billion transactions a day can only be achieved if all of us come together to help the ecosystem grow." 

Paytm recently announced that it has achieved over 1.2 billion monthly transactions led by the massive growth in offline payments and financial services. It has the highest market share in offline payments with 15% M-o-M growth. Close to 50 percent of its merchant partners hold a Paytm Payments Bank account and benefit from its new-age digital banking services.  With this achievement, the platform has consolidated its leadership position as the largest digital enabler promoting all payment methods including Wallet, UPI, cards and net-banking. It has been the main driving force behind encouraging digital payment adoption in villages and has trained lakhs of merchants helping in the proliferation of online transactions. Through these initiatives, the company continues to be one of the key contributors of Atmanirbhar Digital Bharat. It has successfully led the digital journey of millions of Indians and guided them through the process of making online transactions to availing all banking financial services on the app. 

About Paytm: 

Paytm is India's leading financial services company that offers full-stack payments & financial solutions to consumers, offline merchants and online platforms. The company is on a mission to bring half a billion Indians into the mainstream economy through payments, commerce, banking, investments, and financial services. One97 Communications Limited that owns the brand Paytm is founded by Vijay Shekhar Sharma and is headquartered in Noida, Uttar Pradesh. 

Financial Services Organizations Moving To Hybrid Cloud In Next 5 Yrs

* Hybrid cloud is the only IT model showing growth in next five years

Nutanix (NASDAQ: NTNX), a leader in private cloud, hybrid and multicloud computing, today announced the financial services industry findings of its third annual Enterprise Cloud Index report measuring organizations’ plans for adopting private, hybrid and public clouds. The findings point to a digital transformation within the industry, with half of the respondents reporting that COVID-19 caused them to increase their investment in hybrid cloud.

In the industry’s five-year outlook, hybrid cloud is the only IT model showing positive growth among financial company respondents, and it is expected to increase by 39 percent in that timeframe. In addition, 43 percent of financial services companies plan to increase their investment in private cloud over the next year – pinpointing that private cloud adoption is crucial to creating a modern hybrid cloud.

“India’s BFSI sector is tackling a growing number of challenges as digital technologies, digital start-ups and changing customer expectations force the industry to adapt and respond,” said Balakrishnan Anantharaman, Managing Director, Sales - India, Nutanix. “Despite these challenges, we are witnessing the sector implement various initiatives designed to take advantage of today’s digital economy. Recently, Future Generali India Life Insurance Company Limited (FGILI) used a combination of private and public cloud capabilities through Nutanix Enterprise Cloud OS to gain the agility required for building digital solutions while storing data in compliance with regulatory requirements. Their technology adoption enabled the company to support 30 percent year-on-year growth. Nutanix remains committed to supporting India’s BFSI sector as it looks to technology for business transformation.”

Other key findings of this year’s report include:

Financial services organizations are looking to optimize their cloud usage: The sector’s top motivations for modernizing its IT infrastructure are to gain greater control of IT resource usage (59 percent), and to gain the speed (58 percent) and flexibility needed (55 percent) to meet business requirements.

Investment in hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) shows the industry’s confidence in private cloud: Nearly 50 percent of financial sector respondents say they have either fully deployed HCI or are in the process of doing so, while 38 percent report they will be deploying HCI within the next 12 to 24 months. This investment is directly aligned with increased private cloud adoption, as HCI reduces the time it takes to build the software-defined, scalable infrastructure necessary to support private cloud.

Security concerns are driving private cloud adoption: Financial services organizations (62 percent) ranked security, privacy, and compliance issues as the most concerning when running applications within public cloud solutions. Respondents were less concerned with public cloud capacity (30 percent), showing that while public cloud has the capabilities to support IT infrastructures, the security of sensitive data is non-negotiable, and organizations are looking for alternative solutions.

The industry must invest in talent to support a hybrid cloud environment: More than a third of financial services respondents (36 percent) said they are short on skills needed to manage mixed private/public cloud environments, while 34 percent said they lack expertise in cloud-native technologies and containers, including Kubernetes. These issues have contributed to organizational struggles to fully adopt hybrid cloud.

The survey spanned multiple industries, business sizes, and geographies including the Americas; Europe; the Middle East and Africa (EMEA); and Asia-Pacific and Japan.

Reebok Retro-Future Zig Kinetica II Ushers In Next Gen of Iconic Sport-Style Model, Available Globally From March 1

Reebok has unveiled the next generation of its retro-future Zig Kinetica franchise with the Zig Kinetica II, a teardown evolution of the contemporary sport-style model delivering transformative energy via an amplified vis-tech design. The SS21 Zig Kinetica II range is available globally from shop4reebok.com and select local retailers beginning March 1.

Introduced in spring of 2020, Reebok’s Zig Kinetica franchise ushered in a new era the brand’s historic for ZigTech performance technology that pushed the boundaries of innovation, style and function upon its release in 2010.

Fast forward to today - Zig Kinetica bares a streamlined take on the iconic ‘zigzag’ mid-outsole encapsulating a harmonious three-part propulsion system that channels and returns kinetic energy to the weaver’s foot with every stride:

• Floatride Fuel and Floatride energy: Bouncy interior foam delivers everyday cushioning and comfort.

• Zig Energy Bands: Rubber band outsole system contracts and retracts with every step.

• Zig Energy Shell: Bold vis-tech midsole channels and returns kinetic energy.

Further pressing the limits of design for 2021, Zig Kinetica II presents a stripped-down material makeup, reducing the weight of the shoe by 70gms, a high-energy color palette and an evolved skeletal structure bringing its visible technology to the forefront. The result is a transcendent lifestyle model unbound by expectations, enabling wearers of all walks to channel their own energy and remain ahead of the current.

Key SS21 Zig Kinetica II offerings:

• Zig Kinetica II “Digi-Scape”: Futuristic aesthetic bridges the physical-digital divide, nodding the sudden moments where irregularity occurs as we trial and error our new virtual lives. Featured models include unisex Black/Orange and women’s-specific black/blue/purple (FX9405), among others. Available globally March 1.

• Zig Kineitca II “ARS”: Distorted, abstract graphic execution brings a surreal aesthetic to the streamlined women’s-specific silhouette. Tonal grey/white design highlights pops of vibrant green throughout.

Available globally March 1.

• Zig Kinetica II “Digi-Warp”: Amplifies digital aesthetic via an enlarged Reebok Vector on both lateral and medial sides. Cool grey upper seated atop clean white midsole and outsole with pops of highlighter green throughout. Available globally April 1.

Along with the Zig Kinetica II, Reebok is also launching the Zig Dynamica, Zig Kinetica 21 and Zig Kinetica Edge which will come in vibrant colors such as Core Black, White, Neon Mint, Coral, among others. The Zig squad comes with innovative design which provides an energized cushioning for all day comfort and feeling of styling yourself fearlessly.

The Zig squad is available in men, women and unisex sizing starting from INR 7,599/- at Reebok stores and online at shop4reebok.com. Other fashion retailers such as Amazon, Flipkart, Ajio and Tatacliq will also see a wide range of the new colorways.

Product imagery:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1sQu5CD8Vos8lghyBe9mIwZHdLRMuOK5g?usp=sharing       

About Reebok India

Reebok International Ltd., headquartered in Boston, MA, USA, is a leading worldwide designer, marketer and distributor of fitness and lifestyle footwear, apparel and equipment. An American-inspired global brand, Reebok is a pioneer in the sporting goods industry with a rich and storied fitness heritage. Reebok develops products, technologies and programming that enable movement so people can fulfill their potential. Reebok connects with the fitness consumer wherever they are and however they choose to stay fit – whether it’s functional training, running, combat training, walking, dance, yoga or aerobics. Reebok Classics leverages the brand’s fitness heritage and represents the roots of the brand in the sports lifestyle market. 

OPPO India Introduces F19 Pro Series With 5G Along With OPPO Band Style

* The F 19 Pro Series technological marvels come with AI powered outstanding videography performance, Smart 5G capabilities and 50W Flash Charge, complementing your lifestyle with ease

* Launches OPPO Band Style with continuous SpO2 monitoring at INR 2,999

OPPO, the leading global smart device brand, today announced the launch of the latest F 19 Pro Series smartphones - F19 Pro+ 5G and F19 Pro, in  India. The launch was nothing less than a magical music night with some super energetic performances by Nucleya, that brought the night alive and inspired the viewers all the more to Flaunt Their Nights.

The trend-setting minimalist sleek devices embodies a unique amalgamation of flaunt-worthy technology that seamlessly complements your personal style and your need for speed. Along with the F19 Pro Series, OPPO also unveiled the chic OPPO Band Style that fits perfectly into your daily life as the ideal health and exercise companion.

If you are an aspiring videographer or just someone who loves capturing brilliant and beautiful portrait shots and videos, the OPPO F19 Pro+ 5G will let you do that with ease and confidence, thanks to its back-facing AI highlight Portrait Video.

The smartphone features a 48 MP Quad Camera, 8MP Wide Angle Camera, 2MP Portrait Mono Cameras and 2MP Macro Mono Camera. The quad cameras along with the devices’ Smart 5G technology guarantees to instantly turn you into an expert videographer, enabling you to express yourself in brand new ways. 

The launch of each generation of the F series has raised the bar of what consumers expect from a mid-range smartphone. With AI Highlight Portrait Video, Smart 5G, 50W Flash Charge and our proprietary System Performance Optimizer make the OPPO F19 Pro+ 5G a delight to use.” said, Damyant Singh Khanoria, Chief Marketing Officer, OPPO Mobiles India Pvt. Ltd., “The seamless integration of the hardware with Color OS 11.1 enable an incredible user experience which we are confident will make the F19 Pro+ 5G a winner!”

Flaunt Your Nights with superlative AI Highlight Portrait Video

The OPPO F19 Pro+ 5G boasts of a 48MP Quad Camera at the back which captures brilliant and beautiful AI enabled portrait shots that puts this smartphone truly “Ahead in Photography and videography.” The cameras include its main 48MP Camera, as well as an 8MP Wide-Angle Camera, 2MP Portrait Mono Cameras and 2MP Macro Mono Camera. In combination, these four cameras, along with the device’s Smart 5G technology allows you to be a video and photography expert in no time. 

The AI Highlight Portrait Video optimises video portraits by automatically detecting and adjusting for light. Be it low light night or bright backgrounds, portrait videos on the OPPO F19 Pro+ 5G are vivid, with sharp details, balance and natural skin tones.  The AI enabled portrait shots truly puts this smartphone “Ahead in Photography and videography. Once the AI determines the type of video you’re filming, it will correspondingly apply either or both Ultra Night Video and HDR Video algorithms to brighten up the shot. The Ultra Night Video leverages proprietary algorithms to ensure more dynamic night-time videos and photos. The AI Highlight Portrait Video will be the ideal feature for capturing brilliant and exquisite portrait shots with ease.

With the Dual-View Video, you can keep both your rear and front cameras on at the same time, filming yourself reacting to the world around you. Perfect for vlogging or sharing your moments on social media platforms, this feature will raise your video content to newer heights as your reactions are captured in real-time.

The Focus Lock feature enables the video recording to automatically follow the subject of your video, even when the camera has significant movement, and the Ultra Night Video leverages proprietary algorithms to ensure more dynamic nighttime videos and photos.

Moreover, the premium features such as the AI Scene Enhancement 2.0, Dynamic Bokeh, and Night Plus work together enabling you to automatically capture clearer, beautiful photos and videos even in challenging light contrasts and low light situations. Just as useful are continued features that have proven indispensable like the AI Night Flare Portrait, AI Color Portrait, AI Beautification 2.0, Ultra Steady Video, and 4K Video.

‘Flaunt your speed’ with Smart 5G

Engineered with OPPO Smart 5G 3.0 compatibility, the new F Series smartphones promises ultra-fast download and upload speeds. This means you’ll be able to stream your favorite TV shows, videos and movies, and dominate your mobile games on-the-go more smoothly than ever before, thanks to the MediaTek 5G Dimensity 800U chip inside, which supports dual mode 5G SIM (NSA and SA). It leverages eight powerful cores of up to 2.4 GHz and fast memory to m ake sure that you Flaunt Fast by multitasking work and play without missing a beat.

At the core of our cutting-edge innovation is our steadfast focus on delightful consumer-centric technologies that resonates with their specific needs, demands, wants and aspirations – we build technology for the mankind. For instance, the 360° Antenna 3.0 is optimized to hold a signal no matter how you grip the F19 Pro+ 5G when gaming in the landscape mode, or when checking emails in the portrait mode.

Thus F19 Pro+ 5G also offers a Dual Network Channel feature that speeds up your connection by connecting to a Wi-Fi and a 4G/5G channel. This is especially useful when you’re in a crowded environment like a cafe or a conference hall, where the Wi-Fi signal is spread too thin.

The F19 Pro+ 5G also provides a 4G/5G Seamless Data Switch built in, so that your phone can automatically connect to a 4G or 5G signal without you having to manually switch. This minimizes lag times or delays from dropped signals when you’re out and about. The 4G/5G Seamless Data Switch supports apps including Chrome, WhatsApp, Facebook, Facebook Messenger and Instagram.

Flaunt fast-charging: 5 minutes charge， 3.5 hours video playback

With OPPO 50W Flash Charge, you won’t ever need to worry about leaving your phone charging overnight or being out of battery during the day as even just a quick charge can get you back in the swing of life. Another safeguard against having to charge your phone overnight and damaging your battery is the Super Night Standby Mode that reduces your power consumption to 1.78% while you’re asleep, so that you don’t scramble to charge your phone right before you head out for your morning commute.

Flaunt Sleek with a Minimalist Design

It’s an Ultra-Thin phone that sports dimensions of 7.8mm x 73.4mm x 160.1mm, and is also Ultra-Lightweight at about 173g. Flaunt Sleek with a phone that not only looks streamlined but also trendy as it matches you and your lifestyle.

Adding to this aesthetic is the One-Piece Quad Camera that is built into the rear of the phone. In line with the minimalist design concept of the F Series, all four cameras are covered by a single piece of Gorilla Glass 5 which keeps it elegant and smooth to touch.

The brilliant 6.43” (16.3cm) Punch-Hole Display has a screen-to-body ratio of 90.8% thanks to the 3.7mm Mini Punch-Hole design. Streaming videos, playing games in FHD can’t get clearer than on the 2400 x 1080 FHD+ Super AMOLED Display that the F19 Pro+ encapsulates. Equipped with In-Display Fingerprint 3.0 sensor for fast and accurate biometric unlock, we pulled no punches with this display.

To support this incredible display, there are two truly Minimalist 5G Color settings for the F19 Pro+ 5G.  Space Silver offers a matte look but with a distinctively metallic and premium in-hand feel that is fingerprint resistant. Fluid Black is a black color that is classic and always in style, but also introduces a new way to see black using a gradient that appears to change from light to dark

Flaunt a Faster and Immersive Gaming Experience

As with every generation of the F Series, there is a clear focus on balancing work and play, it’s no different with the F19 Pro+ 5G. Baked into the Smooth ColorOS 11 Experience is Efficiency 3.0 which empowers you to “Work Fast, Win Smart”.

The F19 Series phones’ Immersive Gaming Mode includes the Game Focus Mode which blocks out all interruptions including notifications so you can be fully immersed in gameplay; you also have the option of enabling Bullet Notifications from WhatsApp and Facebook so you can still keep a tab with minimal distraction. Next, Quick Startup allows you to return to a game quickly with one tap within 24 hours after exiting the game. Finally, Game Floating Window lets you keep a game running in a floating window.

ColorOS Efficiency 3.0 makes it even easier to get work done easily and multitask with sheer swiftness and on-the-go. Even on your way to a meeting, you can easily check emails and chats with your teammates, while making last minute edits to your presentation. Efficiency 3.0 really turns F19 Pro+ into a pocket rocket of productivity so that you can flaunt a faster and more efficient work flow.

It houses features such as Flex Drop, 3-Finger Translate with Google Lens, Google Cast, among others, making life all the more easier.

In 2021, Privacy is an absolutely indispensable aspect, therefore, the device has vital features which ensures that your phone and your data are secure at all times. For instance, Privacy Protection Certification makes sure that your phone has industry-leading encryption technologies that enables user data storage encryption, transmission encryption, de-identification of sensitive data, and much more.

And, to safeguard for every situation, One-Tap App Lock secures your apps quickly in case you lend your mobile phone to others while Private Safe: Multi-Device Sync & Cloud Sync stores and syncs your data in your own Private Safe and it also retrieves your data though HeyTap Cloud in case you ever lose your mobile phone.

Introducing the OPPO F19 Pro

Along with the F19 Pro+ 5G, OPPO also launched the F19 Pro for trend seekers  looking for a powerful device with a mix of fun video features.

Flaunt your Photography

These include video features such as the Dual View Video and photography features like AI Scene Enhancement 2.0, Dynamic Bokeh, Night Flare Portrait, AI Color Portrait, and AI Beautification 2.0.

Flaunt Sleek

Weighing just 173g with a 7.8mm ultra slim body, the OPPO F19 Pro offers such a bouquet of innovations in a sleek package. The single punched OLED display has a 90.8% screen-to-body ratio, and is able to fit a 48 MP AI Quad Camera into its slim form factor.

F19 Pro comes in two color options (Fluid Black, and Crystal Silver) based on OPPO’s Flowing Light Design, which includes a 3D curved back-cover that feels and looks thin.

Flaunt Fast

Equipped with a 30W VOOC Flash Charge 4.0 and a large 4310mAh battery, you’ll never be held back by power issues. With just a 5 min charge, you can enjoy 2 hours of video playback and 2.9 hours of talk time. The System Performance Optimizer will keep your phone’s performance optimal, reducing lag by 18%, compared to the erstwhile generations. App launches are 12% faster, swipe responsiveness is 15% faster, touch responsiveness is 29% faster, and switching between Apps is 12% faster.

OPPO F19 Pro ships with ColorOS 11.1 just as the F19 Pro+ 5G does, so you’ll enjoy all the same benefits of Game Focus Mode, Gaming Shortcut Mode, and Bullet Screen Message for more immersive gaming, and the data security of features like APP Lock, Private Safe, and more.

Introducing OPPO Band Style

https://web-static.palwo.com/test/oppo-bracelet-fashion-en/global/assets/src/pages/parameter/images/parameter-img2.pngEnsuring good health and wellbeing has attained prime importance in the midst of the COVID 19 pandemic. Aligned with this objective, OPPO, also launched the OPPO Band Style, a premium wearable backed by groundbreaking technology innovation. The OPPO Band Style offers Continuous SpO2 Monitoring, breathing quality assessment during sleep and run tracking. It comes with 12 workout modes and other convenient functions, perfect for active, quick-paced lifestyles. As for design, the OPPO Band Style continues the OPPO aesthetic with a 2.794cm (1.1-inch) full-color AMOLED screen. It’s made available with two unique strap designs—a basic sport version and a style version, allowing users to switch out the band as desired.

Continuous SpO2 Monitoring: Your Sleep Guardian, Never Off-Duty

Nowadays, sleep problems are no longer unique to the middle-aged or elderly; more and more young people are also experiencing sleep disorders due to external influences such as stress and hectic schedules. The OPPO Band Style health monitoring function is specialized to detect sleep problems. It supports accurate sleep monitoring, heart rate monitoring, and continuous SpO2 monitoring—providing all-around records and analysis of its user’s sleep health.

The continuous SpO2 monitoring is made possible thanks to the built-in optical blood oxygen sensor. This component enables the OPPO Band Style to continuously monitor blood oxygen saturation per second when the user is asleep. During an eight-hour sleep cycle, it conducts non-stop SpO2 monitoring 28,800 times—fully measuring the user’s body oxygen saturation. With its continuous SpO2 monitoring and professional sleep monitor, the OPPO Band Style can help users develop healthier sleep habits.

The OPPO Band Style also comes with a heart rate monitor. The built-in optical heart rate sensor can monitor the user’s heart rate around the clock. If the heart rate becomes too high, the smart band will vibrate to warn the user of irregular heartbeat. With the OPPO Band Style measuring heart rate during exercise, users can avoid over-training and learn what pace they need to keep to ensure that they are progressing towards their goals.

An Active Life with 12 Workout Modes

Besides sleep-related problems, another health issue that young adults are most concerned about is exercising, and the OPPO Band Style is here to make the workout easier. It has 12 built-in workout modes, including running, walking, cycling, swimming, badminton, cricket, Yoga, etc., covering most of the sports that are popular among young people. With the OPPO Band Style recording the exercising data, users can check their progress in the HeyTap Health app, which is key to boosting motivation for an active life.

Versatile Design, Perfect for Every Outfit

As a wearable device, a smart band needs to be good-looking as well as practical. Responding to the younger generation’s needs to show off their personal, distinctive style, the OPPO Band Style provides a wide range of choices when it comes to the watch face and the strap.

The straps of the OPPO Band Style comes in black and vanilla and incorporates a creative metal buckle design. With this design, users can make 360-degree adjustments to their wristbands and maximize wear comfort.

As for the watch face, the OPPO Band Style offers over 40 different designs for users to switch between. You can always find a design fit for your occasion and mood. 

Long-Lasting Convenience

The OPPO Band Style can also work as an extension of the user’s smartphone. Users can receive messaging and call notifications, control music playback, and even find their mobile phones through the band. Modern convenience for modern lives.

The OPPO Band Style uses a high-performance, low-power processor and is made with a large 100mAh battery, it can be fully charged in just 1.5 hours.

The OPPO Band Style is priced at 2,999 and will be available as an Amazon Special starting 8th March 2021 8 PM onwards. With its appealing design and well-built fitness capabilities, the OPPO Band Style is here to activate your health, right from your wrist.

OPPO F19 Pro+ 5G priced at INR 25,990 and OPPO F19 Pro at INR 21,490 ( 8+128 GB), F19 pro 23490 (8+ 256 GB) will be available to prebook starting 8th Mar 8pm onward and Sale starting on March 17th. OPPO F19 Pro Plus 5G will come in two minimalistic colors - Space Silver and Fluid Black with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. These will be available across mainline retailers and for ecommerce while OPPO F19 Pro+ 5G is available on Amazon, OPPO F19 Pro can be purchased on all leading ecommerce channels.

Offline

To make it a more compelling deal, OPPO is offering a bundled discount under which the Enco W11 earbuds will be available at a price tag of just INR 999, while the OPPO Band Style will be available for INR 2,499 with the OPPO F19Pro+ 5G or the OPPO F19 Pro

Furthermore, smartphone enthusiasts can enjoy a range of attractive discounts and offline cashback for OPPO F19 Pro+5G with the following banks and digital wallets

·         Flat 7.5% cashback on HDFC, ICICI, Kotak, Bank of Baroda, and Federal Bank credit cards

·         11 %instant cashback via Paytm and one EMI cashback with IDFC First Bank

·         Zero down payment option via HomeCredit and HDB Financial Services

·         Triple Zero Scheme with Bajaj Finserv, ICICI Bank, and IDFC First Bank

·         OPPO ’s existing users can also avail an additional one-time screen replacement offer (valid for 365 days), extended warranty for 180 days along with INR 1500 upgrade bonus. One can avail these through OPPO AI WhatsApp chatbot, Amazon and Flipkart as well

Hindware Appliances Launches A Disruptive Range Of IoT Enabled Air Coolers, Strengthens Its Air Cooler Segment

* Launches iFold, the *India’s first foldable Air Cooler

Somany Home Innovation Limited (SHIL), makers of ‘Hindware Appliances’, today launched India’s first foldable Air Cooler ‘i-Fold’ and a futuristic range of IoT-enabled Air Coolers. The new range is in sync with the growing need of consumers for building smart homes, and the off-season storage concerns they have. The range of air coolers are available across leading e-commerce portals such as Amazon India, Flipkart, Hindware’s own portal www.evok.in, and select retail stores.

i-Fold, India’s first air cooler* can be easily folded and stored in smaller spaces, in less than 5 minutes, which classically solves one of the storage issues which an Indian households faces. i-Fold is not just compact but also packed with a powerful motor that delivers faster cooling. It offers convinient features like ‘completely shut louvers’ and ‘insect & dust filters’ to stop mosquitoes and insects from entering the cooler and breeding inside. The air-cooler is designed for fashionable urban homes, has best-in-class technology and presents an artistic mix of design with soothing colours which seamlessly blend with the interiors of a home. The Hindware Snowcrest i-Fold is priced at INR 19,990.

The company has also introduced two IoT enabled air coolers i.e. Spectra i-Pro 36L, a personal air cooler, and Acura i-Pro 70L, a desert air cooler. Both coolers are equipped with Amazon Alexa, each of these smart appliances can be easily managed from anywhere at any time through the Hindware Appliances app, which assists consumers in operating, monitoring, and controlling the products remotely and auto diagnoses, troubleshoot, & register service requests at the touch of a button. The app allows consumers to turn the coolers On & Off, set cooling modes, control fan speed, and swing, and set timers among other features. The air coolers come with gesture-controlled features that enable them to sense the motion in which a person’s hand switches the air cooler ON (by moving the hand left to right), and increases the fan speed from low-med-high. The new air coolers are also equipped with Geo-fence technology, an intelligent location sensing functionality that activates the air cooler operation based on the consumer’s proximity. The Hindware Spectra i-Pro 36L air cooler is priced at INR 15,990 and Hindware Acura i-Pro 70L air cooler are priced at INR17,490.

Commenting on the launch, Mr. Rakesh Kaul, CEO & Whole Time Director, Somany Home Innovation Limited (SHIL), said, “Our priority at SHIL has always been to give the power in the hands of the consumer, and with innovative products and technologies, we aim to deliver a delighted ‘Consumer experience’ across the country. With an observable surge in the use of IoT-based products across its households, India has emerged as a major market for connected home appliances. In light of this growing need, we are excited to launch a range of IoT Air Coolers and our breakthrough product, Hindware Snowcrest i-Fold India’s first foldable air cooler, strategically designed to make the consumer’s life easier. The new range of product is a testament to our philosophy of always keeping innovation at the heart of consumer experience.”

The futuristic range of intelligently integrated i-Pro consumer products marks Hindware Appliances’ success in the fast-emerging IoT segment and is paving the way towards building smart homes through its IoT Eco System – Hindware Konnect. The premium product range is developed for early adapters and evolved users of smart home automation. All products are designed to simplify lives with smart automation while offering unparalleled features such as Geo-fencing and Wi-Fi Direct, and Alexa-controlled features.

Hindware Appliances is one of the fastest-growing consumer products companies in the country, offering products relevant to the modern consumer lifestyle of today, with each contributing to make better homes a reality in India. Currently, Somany Home Innovation Limited (SHIL) has a network of over 10323+ retail outlets, 1062+ distributor partners, and a network of more than 709 modern retail stores across India. The company has a vast range of IoT enabled appliances across water purifiers, water heaters, air purifiers, chimneys, and air-coolers. 

About Somany Home Innovation Limited (SHIL):

Somany Home Innovation Ltd. (SHIL), is listed on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). It is vastly recognized by its Brand Hindware and is the fastest growing player in the Indian Consumer Appliances. 

The Consumer Appliances business consists of a selection of household appliances such as the kitchen appliances: kitchen chimneys, built-in hobs, cooktops, built-in ovens, sinks under the brand Hindware Kitchen Ensemble are leaders in numerous categories. The brand Hindware Atlantic houses water heaters whereas our brand Moonbow by Hindware houses water and air purifiers. The company sells air coolers and ceiling fans under brand Hindware Snowcrest. SHIL also has strategic marketing tie-ups with some of the most prominent companies such as Groupe Atlantic in the water heaters segment and the Italian company, Formenti & Giovenzana in the furniture and kitchen fittings segment.

SHIL’s focus on R&D activities helps the company to enhance capacity to conceive innovative ideas infused with varying degrees of novelty and this has led the company to apply for over 26 patents since its inception. 

Home Credit Strengthens Its Insurance Portfolio Across Indian Market

  

* Offers Two-Wheeler Insurance of Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Company Limited

Home Credit India, a local arm of the international consumer finance provider with operations spanning across Europe and Asia and committed to driving financial inclusion in India, today announced the launch of Two-wheeler insurance in a strategic partnership with Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Company Limited, one of India’s leading private general insurance company. It is designed to ensure ease, assurance, and protection of the two-wheeler when customers need it the most. 

Benefits of insuring with Bajaj Allianz Two-Wheeler Insurance for customers:

Easy purchase/renewal online

Hassle-free process for break-in insurance

High service standards

Get coverage without any vehicle pre-inspection even if there’s no active Insurance

Easy transfer of No Claim Bonus from previous insurer

Quick Claim settlement

Instant support and 24x7 telephonic service for claims assistance and claim updates through SMS

Speaking on the association, Mr. Marko Carevic, Chief Marketing and Customer Experience Officer, Home Credit India said; “At Home Credit, our vision is to offer holistic proposition to our customers to redefine their experience and elevate the quality of life. The launch of new products under our Insurance offerings is the reflection of our customer focused approach. With this collaboration we have further strengthened our insurance portfolio and hope to add several such products in future that will ensure financial well-being for our customers.”

“We believe that personal mobility has become critical in the post-covid era and this strategic partnership will enable many more customers to own a safe and hygienic ride for themselves and their families with complete financial security and peace of mind”, he added. 

Commenting on the partnership, Mr. Sasikumar Adidamu, Chief Distribution Officer – Institutional Sales, Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Company Limited said; “The penetration of 2-wheeler insurance is very low in our country and at Bajaj Allianz General Insurance, we believe in not leaving any stone unturned to drive this penetration up. With this strategic association, we hope to expand our reach to a new segment of customers and provide them the benefit of our robust and comprehensive two-wheeler insurance policy.” 

All customers are eligible to apply for this Two-wheeler Insurance, provided they have a valid vehicle registration certificate.

Bajaj Allianz Two-Wheeler Package Policy is a combination of Vehicle Own Damage, Third Party Liability and Personal Accident covers. A person can opt for add-on covers as well as per his/requirement. 

Vehicle Own Damage – It covers you from the financial implications arising out of theft of your two-wheeler or damages to your two-wheeler due to accidents, flood, malicious act, fire, earthquake and other natural calamities

Third Party Liability – This cover is mandatory by law to ply the vehicle on road. It covers legal liability arising out of any bodily injury (up to any extent ordered by a court of law) and/or property damage of third parties (limited to certain amount) due to any accident caused by your two-wheeler

Personal Accident – Payment of specific Sum Assured in case of death or permanent total disability to the owner-driver in an unfortunate accident involving your two-wheeler

Optional Add-On Covers – Nil Depreciation cover, Consumables cover, Engine Protection Cover, 24*7 Roadside Assistance cover..

InsurTech Platform Riskcovry Raises $5 Million In Series A Funding Led By Omidyar Network India

 

* InsurTech startup with a vision to “enable insurance anywhere” has access to 1 in 3 Indians via nearly 50 distribution partners; will use funding for building new insurance products, invest in data sciences and accelerating technology’s reach across India

Riskcovry, an InsurTech startup that offers a one-stop technology platform for distribution of insurance products, announced a $5 Million Series-A financing round led by Omidyar Network India (ONI).  All existing investors - Bharat Inclusion Seed Fund, Varanium Capital and Better Capital also participated in the round.  Other new participating investors in the round included the Pune-based emerging technology focused VC fund Pentathlon Ventures and Delhi-based DMI Sparkle Fund which invests in FinTech ventures.

This latest funding round comes close on the heels of the pre-series A raise that closed in May 2020, led by Bharat Inclusion Seed Fund, an early stage seed fund. 

Riskcovry enables companies from any industry to offer digital insurance products and services to their end-customers. This saves Riskcovry’s partners time and effort for building technology, teams and processes, while creating a seamless experience to embed insurance products and services within the partner’s user journey. Through its “insurance in a box” value proposition, Riskcovry provides all necessary building blocks for its partners to offer insurance to their customers - products underwritten by prominent insurers, technology to manage customer touch points and digital processes for policy issuance, management and claims -- all under one roof. The company’s Application Programming Interface (API)-first “infrastructure” approach enables faster go-to-market (GTM) for Riskcovry’s partners, enabled by its flexible plug-and-play technology modules.  These modules are specifically designed to allow rapid iteration of insurance products, across multiple distribution channels of partners, to ascertain “channel-product fit”.

The funds raised will help the company invest across all major functions - tech, product, partnerships, data sciences and growth.

“The pandemic was an inflection point for us, with the insurance industry witnessing accelerated digital adoption, similar to the tailwinds that digital payments witnessed post demonetization. In the last fiscal alone we have enabled partners from 10+ industries to distribute insurance digitally - from traditional financial services to new age digital businesses and startups, from traditional retail products to innovative group solutions, from assisted mode via sales-channel automation to completely invisible or bundled-insurance mode.  We will close the current fiscal with more than 200k policies sold by our 50+ enterprise customers powered by our technology. Our goal is to make insurance as ubiquitous as digital payments by powering digitisation across the insurance value chain in India. We believe we can help serve a severely underpenetrated market like India and we’re very excited to partner with Omidyar Network India and all other investors in helping build a more inclusive insurance ecosystem in India,” said the founders in a joint statement.

Commenting on the investment, Treasa Mathew, Director, ONI said, "The vast majority of the next half billion (NHB) consumers and MSMEs still lack access to basic insurance coverages. Hence, they are forced to rely on borrowings to tide over health emergencies, accidents and property damage which could be addressed through insurance. We believe that ‘embedded insurance’ could play a powerful role in creating new channels for insurance access, which will help improve the financial health of the NHB consumers and MSMEs. We are delighted to partner Riskcovry in building the digital rails that will make embedded insurance a reality in India."

“Riskcovry’s API-led approach allows their partners to embed insurance functionality to their process flow and offer relevant, affordable and personalized insurance to their customer base, quickly, and at scale. We have been super impressed with the progress Riskcovry has demonstrated within a short span of time and are thrilled to be joined by global investors such as ONI and Pentathlon to take this journey forward,” added Saras Agarwal, Principal, Bharat Fund.

Today, Riskcovry offers product diversity, innovation, and flexibility with 15+ off-the-shelf insurance products across Life, General, and Health segments, and have insured more than 2 lakh lives in the last 1 year.

The startup was founded in 2018 by Suvendu Prusty, Sorabh Bhandari, Vidya Sridharan and Chiranth Patil. Suvendu and Sorabh have extensive experience in leadership role in pioneering affinity business (bancassurance & alternate distribution) for leading private insurers; Vidya is an enterprise software engineering leader and a two-time startup CTO; Chiranth is a two-time founder who comes from a fintech, strategy & investment background.  Riskcovry’s leadership team also includes Asif CH, Chief Architect, a seasoned technologist who has built scalable systems by leading performance engineering teams at various startups and large tech companies. 

About Riskcovry:

Riskcovry aims to solve India's insurance penetration problem by providing digital infrastructure for any company to offer insurance to their end users.  As a technology platform supporting any insurance distribution use case, Riskcovry is enabling a simple, seamless and secure experience for enterprise customers to start and scale their insurance business.

With its one-stop-shop ‘insurance-in-a-box’ approach, Riskcovry saves its enterprise customers the traditional overhead of building teams, technology and processes. These customers can quickly and easily access Riskcovry’s API and SaaS technology to enable insurance as an offering, and scale to other products and channels.

Riskcovry’s current enterprise customer base spans Banks, FinTechs, eCommerce, Digital, NBFCs, Brokers, BCs, HRTech, HealthTech and Supply-Chain companies, including Future Group’s FuturePay App (FGNG), IIFL Insurance, Glance, ZestMoney etc.

About Omidyar Network India:

Omidyar Network India invests in bold entrepreneurs who help create a meaningful life for every Indian, especially the hundreds of millions of Indians in low-income and lower-middle-income populations, ranging from the poorest among us to the existing middle class. To drive empowerment and social impact at scale, we work with entrepreneurs in the private, nonprofit and public sectors, who are tackling India’s hardest and most chronic problems. We make equity investments in early stage enterprises and provide grants to nonprofits in the areas of Digital Identity, Education, Emerging Tech, Financial Inclusion, Governance & Citizen Engagement, and Property Rights. Omidyar Network India is part of The Omidyar Group, a diverse collection of companies, organizations and initiatives, supported by philanthropists Pam and Pierre Omidyar, founder of eBay.