Microsoft Launches Windows 10; Offers Free Upgrade Across 190 Countries

Microsoft Launches Windows 10; Offers Free Upgrade Across 190 Countries

World’s largest software company has once again proved why they are the market leaders. In a scintillating display of marketing strategy, Microsoft has launched their newest version: Windows 10 as a free upgrade across 190 countries.

New devices with Windows 10 operating system would be available in market from mid-August.

The Windows 10 launch was planned on a grand scale, as Microsoft had invited their biggest fans and media personals at various events in 13 countries, and creating buzz via several hashtag centric campaigns and social causes.

Here are some of the images from the event that happened in Delhi today.

Microsoft had created a special ‘Insider Group’ to take feedback and suggestions regarding Windows 10. And the biggest outcome of this initiative is the return of ‘Start Menu’ and ‘Live Tiles’, which were mysteriously absent from Windows 8.

Windows 10 had been described as the ‘most secured Windows’ ever with special focus on network security and business needs. Thinking strategically, Microsoft had built-in enterprise grade security into Windows 10, and enabled easy integration with Microsoft Azure Cloud.

Corporate customers having volume licensing can upgrade to Windows 10 starting August 1st. Additionally, normal users can take assistance from experts at 1500+ Microsoft outlets to seamlessly upgrade their laptops, desktops, phones, tablets, Xbox One, HoloLens and even Raspberry Pie devices.

As per Microsoft, Windows 10 can be used across 2000+ devices.

Windows 10 has been powered with some new productivity tools and apps such as:

• Cortana: A shiny new personal digital assistant that has been configured and integrated keeping in the mind local sensibilities and cultures
• Microsoft Edge: Internet Explorer will now get replaced with new faster browser Microsoft Edge
• Continuum: Automated Tools to optimize apps based screen, device resolution and many other factors. Basically, Continuum is designed to ensure that the best screen is always the one you’re on.
• Several new built-in apps such as Photos, Maps, a new music app, Movies and TV app and more
• Microsoft Phone Companion app which enables seamless connectivity between iPhone, Android and Windows devices
• All new Office Mobile app which was launched recently

Additionally, Microsoft is also launching all new, revamped Windows App Store, which had started accepting new apps for Windows 10. In fact, Windows Store is the only app store wherein users can use Cortana to control apps via voice and also receive real time notifications.

Going by the looks and feel, Windows 10 seems an honest effort by Microsoft to reintroduce the magic which was absent in Window 8 and Vista.

If you have upgraded your PC to Windows 10, do share your feedback!

Flipkart’s New ‘f Qck’ Hyperlocal Service To Deliver Orders Within Hours; To Compete With Amazon’s Kirana Now

Flipkart’s New ‘f Qck’ Hyperlocal Service To Deliver Orders Within Hours; To Compete With Amazon’s Kirana Now

Flipkart is currently testing their new service: f Qck, which will mark their entry into the red hot hyperlocal vertical within ecommerce niche.

As per media reports, Flipkart’s new service f Qck will enable delivery of orders within hours. Testing phase is currently on, wherein they are tying up with local kirana stores for order delivery. To execute speedy deliveries, Flipkart is partnering with RoadRunnr, which is a hyperlocal on-demand delivery service.

Parcelled, a startup which enables online courier service may also partner with Flipkart to ensure speedy delivery during the rush of festival season.

With f Qck, Flipkart has now positioned themselves directly against Amazon’s similar hyperlocal centric service Kirana Now.

The nascent hyperlocal vertical in India is much sought after as of now, as more than $140 million of investments have poured into this sector in the last 7 months. Ripples were felt across this niche, when Amazon decided to jump into it, with Kirana Now service in March this year. Ensuring deliveries within 2-3 hours, Amazon tied up with local kirana stores for order fulfillment.

Last year, Amazon experimented with a new hyperlocal model: Kirana Store delivery points, wherein customers can order their products online and pick them up from nearest kirana stores.

Flipkart’s Tryst With Hyper Local

In the last few months, Flipkart has made clear that they will no longer ignore this segment, which was earlier thought of a miniature model of ecommerce business. With players such as Grofers and PepperTap quickly making inroads into this vertical, the big boys of ecommerce industry has no option but to jump into the fray.

Binny Bansal, co-founder and COO at Flipkart, said last month, “We are doing a ton of stuff (with hyperlocal). We are serious about it. Hyperlocal needs to be done in the right way.”

We had reported earlier that Flipkart is ramping up their in-house logistics division eKart to ensure speedy deliver of orders. Earlier in the year, reports emerged that Flipkart is finalizing a 3-hour delivery mechanism for staying ahead of it’s competitors.

Interestingly, specialized logistics firms such as GoJavas, Ecom Express and Delhivery have yet to find the perfect, unbroken hyperlocal delivery system, mainly because they are into large scale logistics platform, using hub and spoke model which demands volume based consistent orders.

After doing their research, Flipkart must have realized that hyperlocal on-demand delivery is not an easy job afterall.

Maybe this is the reason they have teamed up RoadRunnr, local kirana stores and other on-demand delivery partners for serious business.

Reliance Jio Will Roll Out 4G Services By Dec; Airtel Claims They Will Launch Before Reliance

Posted: 27 Jul 2015 04:21 AM PDT

Indian telecom market is right now in the midst of an intense fight between Reliance Jio and Airtel to roll out 4G services across the country. Both the telecom giants want the first movers advantage, and they both are leaving no stones unturned to ensure their own respective wins.
On one hand Reliance Jio has set December, 2015 as the deadline for the roll out of their 4G services pan-India, leveraging their vast network of Reliance Digital outlets; Airtel has declared that they will launch 4G services across 44 cities before December.

Reliance Jio: Leveraging Reliance Digital Outlets

Mukesh Ambani led Reliance Jio has made a strategic decision of leveraging 1298+ Reliance Digital outlets across India to distribute their new 4G services. Both Reliance Digital Express and Reliance Mini Express Stores would be extensively used to bundle in 4G services, at a discounted rate.
Talks are also on with smartphone brands like Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi, Huawei etc to embed Reliance Jio 4G services with their new handsets to make it easier for the customers.
December, 2015 is the deadline for the roll out their high speed 4G services.
RIL chief financial officer V. Srikanth said, “We will start extensive beta testing of our telecom infrastructure, including network across the country in the ensuing weeks to commence operations in December,”, adding, “We will have a range of smartphones from entry level to premium segment in our digital stores across the country.”
Around 400-500 new Reliance Digital stores are added every year, and the decision to leverage their outlets can be a major factor in determining the market leader. Insider reports also claim that around 1000 new ‘Jio Centers’ would be launched, along with 5,00,000 ‘Connectivity Kiosks’ across shopping malls and main markets of every city.
Another report mentions that Reliance may launch their own flagship brand handset called ‘Reconnect’, which will be sold via Reliance Outlets. 4G services from Jio would be embedded by default in these branded handsets.
As per Reliance Jio’s strategy and planning head Anshuman Thakkur, the company has tied up with various firms to use 75,000 towers, out of which they own 30,000. By December end, this number would be doubled.
As per officials, testing is currently on for their 4G services roll out pan-India.

Airtel: 4G Across 44 Cities Before Reliance Jio

As per media reports, Airtel has vehemently claimed that they will launch 4G services before Reliance Jio. As per a senior Airtel executive, they will launch 4G services across 44 cities, meanwhile upgrade in 20 cities where they have already launched 4G, albeit in a testing phase.
They have already started a nation-wide campaign to migrate their 3G users into 4G, and even offering free home delivery of the new SIM at no extra charge.
With 19.5 million 3G users, Airtel is India’s biggest provider of mobile Internet (which also includes data card and WiFi based distribution). They have already slashed their 4G internet rates to trigger a price war.
Some reports also indicate that just like Reliance Jio, Airtel may also launch their own branded handsets costing around Rs 4000, which will have 4G embedded. Like Reliance, Airtel is also in talks with major smartphone makers to offer their 4G services by default in new handsets.
It seems Indian customers will soon experience a new world of high speed Internet, and it would be difficult to choose the winner here. No doubt, we will be spoilt for choice here..

WhatsApp Messages Can Now Be Saved On Google Drive; Line Launches 2G Friendly Lighter Version

WhatsApp Messages Can Now Be Saved On Google Drive; Line Launches 2G Friendly Lighter Version

Posted: 25 Jul 2015 12:52 AM PDT

In case you tend to switch your mobile phones frequently, then it becomes a nightmare to lose all your WhatsApp messages. Or incase you are using WhatsApp for professional chats with your customer/vendor/employees, and wish to use some data from the messages, then there is no other option besides manually copying the messages word-by-word.
But not anymore!
WhatsApp, in their latest Android update, have added a feature which makes it possible to save all your messages on Google Drive; which can be then accessed on desktop or mobile, as per the needs.
In the latest version 2.12.94, WhatsApp has included several new changes, besides Google Drive backup: Mark messages as Unread after reading them; customize notifications with new sound, vibration length and change the pop-up notifications and more.
However, right now, Indian users are using the 2.12.176 version, which would be updated to 2.12.94 in coming days to use the Google Drive backup option.

How To Save WhatsApp Messages On Drive?

Under the Google Drive Setting, users are first required to add WhatsApp in the manage app section by following this map:
Google Drive Setting > Manage Apps > (the list will show WhatsApp).
Once WhatsApp and Google Drive are synchronized, then go to the particular message which you need to save in Drive, and choose the option ‘Save chats to drive’, and you are done.
In the month of April, WhatsApp had initiated such an option to save the messages on Google Drive, but it was withdrawn after few days.

Zomato Online Food Ordering Service Extended To 14 Indian Cities; Windows Phone App Launched Posted: 23 Jul 2015 04:42 AM PDT Zomato, a leading global restaurant search and discovery app has announced that they have extended their online food ordering service to 14 Indian cities including Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, Kolkata, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Indore, Chandigarh, Kochi, Jaipur and Coimbatore. ‘Zomato Order’ was launched in April this year and was available in Delhi NCR region only, but now has been extended to 13 more cities. Zomato claims to have partnered with over 10,000 restaurants in these 14 cities where customers can place food delivery orders. Deepinder Goyal, Founder & CEO, Zomato said in regards to the launch, “As the appetite for food ordering continues to grow in India, we’re making sure we are giving our users the best product experience through our online ordering service. It’s the end-to-end customer experience that we care about; that people should think of Zomato for all things food. For restaurant businesses, we’re focused on building products that connect restaurants to consumers and we believe that this feature is a key building block for the seamless, one-stop experience” Zomato Order is a separate app from their main Zomato restaurant review and ratings app and was so far only available for iOS and Android devices. Now, they have now launched Windows Phone app app as well, much to the delight of Windows phone users. We tested the app in Pune, and the experience was quite pleasing. What differentiates Zomato from other online ordering apps is that they have been able to integrate the restaurant ratings from their main app into Zomato Order, so customers get a neutral view on food quality before ordering. Zomato Order also functions differently from regular apps in the sense that they do not track or verify the online orders for food, rather iPads given to the restaurants would be the direct link between Zomato and restaurant owners for tracking and fulfilling the online orders. Some of the features of Zomato Order include: Digitized menus for thousands of restaurants to order from. Name and location search, to see places that deliver to your location. Address book to save frequently used locations to order food even faster. Order status tracking with messages and notifications. Order History and quick re-order for saved/favorite orders. Along with the launch, Zomato also shared some interesting online dining trends in India. Here are a few of them: On an average, Indians spend 30-40% of their monthly disposable income on restaurants and food. Sunday is the most popular online ordering day. Users are, however, conscious of the average spend on food. ~75% of the people look in the Rs. 500 – 1000 CFT (Cost for Two) category, which indicates that Indians largely search for affordable places to eat at or order in from. Pizzas are the most commonly ordered dish in the evenings, with Chinese food a close second. So, next time you want to order food from outside, do give Zomato Order a try and let us know your experience.

Amazon Sets Up Free WiFi Hotspots With Unlimited Internet in Pune, Hyderabad & Chennai In a unique initiative to increase its popularity and public outreach, the e-commerce giant Amazon has planned to offer free WiFi internet with unlimited usage across select bus stops inHyderabad, Pune, and Chennai. With this move, the company hopes to lure new customers to its shopping platforms while getting those people online who do not have data packs on their smartphones. This way, the company would not only gain more popularity in these cities but would also help the government in its Digital India initiative. In this age of high-speed internet and digital advertising every company related to the digital goods wants to get more people online. While there have been many initiatives in the past to grant free internet access to the people of India, many like Airtel Zero platform and Internet.org initiatives have failed due to fact that they are violating net neutrality. Read: SpeedFetch Ties Up With Ozone WiFi To Provide Free Video Downloading @ 60 Mbps. Keeping that in mind, and given the fact that many new companies are planning to offer free internet access to the users, people using Amazon WiFi hotspots would be able to access every website that is not banned in the country. Surprisingly, Amazon is not blocking Flipkart and Snapdeal on its WiFi hotspots! Basically, you will get high-speed unlimited internet access for doing any activity on the web. Seeing that Amazon would be providing unrestrained access to all websites on the web, we really think that this free internet initiative of Amazon would not get caught up in any legal trouble. “We have been relentlessly innovating to deliver a great customer experience in India. In line with this, we have innovated on the out of home front to launch 24×7 free Wi-Fi hotspots in high footfall locations across Hyderabad so that local residents can enjoy seamless online shopping,” said Manish Kalra, Director of integrated marketing, Amazon India. Amazon representatives will also be present at these free WiFi hotspot locations to help first time internet users login, register, and shop on its marketplace.

Availability

These free WiFi zones will be available to all users at select bus stops in Pune, Hyderabad, and Chennai. People in Pune would be able to enjoy free WiFi internet at 4 bus shelters at East Street Road, M.G. Road, Bund Garden Road, and J.M. Road. Free internet seekers in Hyderabad would be able to connect to these Amazon WiFi hotspots at Secunderabad bus junction, Dilsukhnagar, and Ameerpet. In Chennai, these free WiFi zones would be located the bus shelters at Santhome High Road, Egmore High Road, Dr. Nair Road, and Velacherry High Road. So, what are you waiting for? If you are in one of these cities and always longed for free high-speed internet access, then rush to these hotspot locations at your earliest. These free WiFi hotspots would be available for a limited time and will operate only till 3 August. Also, don’t forget to share your experience with us.