BSNL, Aeris Communications partner for IoT solutions

NEW DELHI: State-run telecom firm Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd today announced agreement with IoT solutions provider Aeris Communications to jointly tap the Internet of Things market in India.

Under the agreement, both the companies will offer packaged IoT solutions and services to enterprises, small and medium businesses and public sector undertakings, among other segments in India.

"IoT is the next wave of growth in telecom sector. IoT is an enabling technology that bears the potential to take India to a whole new level of development and our vision is to play a significant part in this endeavor." BSNL Chairman and Managing Director Anupam Shrivastava said at India Mobile Congress.

It could result in more revenue pressure for carriers, find many rural users, they say.

"Our tie-up with Aeris Communications is our first step in this direction. In the days to come we will, through this partnership, translate the potential of IoT into tangible benefits on the ground," Shrivastava said.

BSNL will provide bandwidth for IoT products, which are devices that can be connected and controlled over internet, that Aeris will provide in India.

"Our tie-up with BSNL is a multi-dimensional one and I am confident that this relationship will transform the contours of the IoT landscape in the country. Our partnership will ensure faster permeation of IoT across India and help businesses and PSUs gain remarkable advantages," Aeris Communications India President Rishi Bhatnagar said.

Reliance's buyback option on latest iPhones may boost Apple's India presence

EW DELHI: India's Reliance said on Friday that customers of its Jio telecoms unit who buy the latest Apple iPhone models from partner stores could sell them back in a year at a guaranteed price, a move that could help the U.S. tech firm expand in India.

The offer, which comes during the Indian festive season when discretionary spending typically rises, assures customers buying iPhone 8, 8 Plus and iPhone X models through Jio that they will get back 70% of the cost after a year of use.

Apart from possibly lifting Apple sales in India, the move could also draw more high-paying customers to the Jio network.

Cupertino, California-based Apple is keen to sell more iPhones in India, one of the world's biggest smartphone markets, but the high cost of its handsets has kept higher-end iPhones in particular out of the reach of hundreds of millions of Indians.

The deal with Reliance, an oil-to-telecoms conglomerate, is Apple's latest attempt to grow in India's competitive smartphone market, similar to the way it boosted sales in countries like the United States by partnering with network operators to subsidise the cost of the phone.

At Rs 64,000 ($980) the upfront cost of the iPhone 8 is still high however, and some remain sceptical that a buyback offer will do much to boost Apple's market share in India where iPhone users can already easily resell old iPhones for 50 to 60% of their cost in the second-hand market.

"Older and more affordable iPhones will still make for a bulk of Apple's sales in India," said Tarun Pathak, analyst at tech research firm Counterpoint. "People want their phones but not necessarily the latest and the most expensive ones."

This is the first time such a hefty buyback offer has been made for an iPhone in India, Akash Ambani, the son of India's richest man, Reliance chairman Mukesh Ambani, said in Mumbai on Friday when unveiling the deal.

"We're excited to be building so many new relationships in India," Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a brief pre-recorded video.

For Apple, growing in India is crucial as growth slows at home and in China. The deal will place Apple's iPhones in Reliance and Jio retail stores in 900 cities across India, giving the company a chance to boost its meagre 3% market share and close the gap with market leader Samsung Electronics .

DATA GAME

For Reliance, this is the first time the company is offering such a hefty buyback price in a bid to win over high-spending Apple fans whose hunger for data, the company hopes, will boost revenues.

The offer, which will likely boost Reliance's average revenue per user, will be available to Jio customers who buy the iPhone and subscribe to its Rs 799 ($12.22) monthly package for 12 months.

Twitter reveals Russia-backed ads ahead of US election

WASHINGTON: Twitter on Thursday revealed that nearly 2,000 ads were placed on the messaging service in 2016 by a Russian media group suspected of trying to interfere with the US presidential election. 

A Twitter statement said the social media company shared data with congressional investigators about ads from RT, a television group with links to the Moscow government. 

Twitter said RT spent $274,000 in 2016 on Twitter ads that may have been used to try to inf .. 

Twitter said it examined efforts by foreign agents to interfere with the election after Facebook indicated it found 450 accounts that appeared to have been used for this purpose. 

"Of the roughly 450 accounts that Facebook recently shared as a part of their review, we concluded that 22 had corresponding accounts on Twitter," the statement said. 

"All of those identified accounts had already been or immediately were suspended from Twitter for breaking our rules .. 

Facebook makes it easy to donate blood in India with a new feature

 Facebook is making it easier for users in India to donate blood. The Mark Zuckerberg-led firm is doing this by adding a feature wherein it will be showing a message in users' news feed from where they can sign up to be blood donors. The feature will start showing up on the timeline from October 1, which is also the National Blood Donor Day.

"Starting October 1 — National Blood Donor Day — Facebook users in India will be able to start signing up to be blood donors. To help encourage participation, we'll show a message in News Feed or people can edit their Profiles to sign up," said Hema Budaraju Product Manager, Health in the company's Newsroom website.

Users will initially see the message on Android and mobile web, as Facebook says these are the most widely-used platforms in India.

Budaraju says the all information will be private and will remain set on 'Only Me' privacy option by default. Users, however, can choose to share their donor status with friends or everyone outside the friend list.

The social media platform has clubbed with nonprofit organizations, health industry experts, potential donors and others for this initiative. "We hope this new feature helps people come together in ways that weren't possible before. By raising awareness and growing the number of blood donors in India, we want to make it easier for people and organizations to give and receive blood," added Budaraju.

Facebook is not only trying to raise awareness for blood donation but is also trying out integration of its other services in its main app. The company is trying out a new WhatsApp button in its app. The button is supposed to function as a shortcut to open the WhatsApp window without leaving the main app.

Jio Phone first impression: Jio is back with a new dominator

September 5th, 2016 marked the inception of Reliance Jio, the first 'VoLTE Only' network operator in India. With the introduction of Jio, the Indian telecom market took a serious jerk. Jio made it possible for everyone to use the high-speed internet via its 4G network for free for a complete year.Jio dominated the Indian telecom market and still remains to do so at nominal prices. When everyone thought that Jio had no more tricks left up its sleeves, it introduced the Jio Phone. Jio Phone comes at an effective price of Rs. 0. This means that users will have to spend Rs. 1,500 for the device although they can get the amount refunded within two years. Also, with the Jio Phone users will have to pay less for an unlimited voice and data plan. A monthly charge of Rs. 159 is all that you need to pay for unlimited internet and calling. So let's go ahead and find out how the device actually feels in hands and if it really is the "India Ka Smartphone" which Reliance so fondly boasts about. Specifications The Jio Phone comes with a 2.4 inch VGA display. It has an alphanumeric keypad and a 2000 mAh battery. The device offers 4G VoLTE mobile network. It has a micro USB 2.0 port. The Jio Phone has 512 MB of RAM and has an inbuilt storage of 4GB. The device also supports memory expansion via microSD card. Jio Phone runs Kai Operating system and has a very basic UI. Design The Jio Phone looks no different from basic handsets that were once quite prevalent in India and were popular for having a solid built. The front panel of the mobile phone boasts a VGA display accompanied by an alphanumeric keypad. The micro USB port along with 3.5 mm audio jack rests at the bottom of the device. While the top edge houses a small light that serves as a torch. The keypad of the phone has several shortcut keys for accessing music, emergency contact, torch etc. Also, the keypad has soft keys.

The speakers are placed on the rear panel and LYF branding is engraved right below the speakers. The mobile phone is compact and very handy to use. Although the width of the device is more than almost every mobile phone available in the market, its overall size is very small and compact. Features, OS and UI The Jio Phone is not a smartphone. It does not support multitasking or allows users an access to several games or content exclusively available on smartphones. However, it is the closest thing to a smartphone. Here is all that you can do on the Jio Phone. Users can browse the internet on the dedicated browser available on the device. Users have an access to movies and popular TV show via the Jio Cinema and Jio TV app pre-installed on the phone. Users also get an access to thousands of songs through the Jio Music app.It offers an option to make and receive video calls and users can always use the phone as an internet hotspot via USB tethering. Connectivity options on the mobile phone include GPS, NFC, Bluetooth, WiFi and 4G VoLTE. Considering the fact that LYF managed to offer so many connectivity options on such a basic phone really makes one wonder if the device is actually a smartphone or not. As if these features were not enough to qualify this device as a smartphone, LYF has also incorporated the voice search option on the phone. It enables users to open selective apps while it is also capable of dialing Phone numbers of contacts saved on the phone through voice command. The Jio Phone also houses a VGA front camera and basic 2-megapixel camera rear snapper.  The voice command feature is really impressive. It recognizes the voices well enough. Since Reliance Jio wants its mobile phone to be a phenomenon throughout the country, it has offered support for 22 Indian languages on it. The Kai OS operates smoothly backed up by 512 MB of RAM that ensures a glitch-free performance of the phone. The UI of the OS is pretty basic and is well planned. It gives users an access to all the content they wish to get their hands on and while doing so users need not worry about complex settings or controls. Battery and charging The phone has a 2000 mAh battery and Reliance claims that the phone lasts up to 15 days on a single charge. The phone is charged through a micro USB 2.0 port. The phone charges quite fast however we do not have an approximation of time that it may actually take. We will give you a complete insight on the charging and battery backup of the phone once we review it thoroughly. Conclusion So the Jio Phone comes for an effective price of Rs. 0. But this is probably the last thing that compelled me towards this phone. The voice command, high-speed internet access, music movies and videos available online and a compact design with various connectivity options, really impressed me. To add to all this Reliance will also launch an HDMI cable that one can use to connect the phone to a big display of a TV or a computer. The phone will certainly sell out in the rural areas and small towns of India without a doubt. The "India Ka Smartphone" truly deserves the colloquial.

Nokia eyes fresh push with 4G feature phone

NEW DELHI: Nokia, once the leader in the feature phones market, is set to make a fresh push in the category as the company prepares to make a dash for the fast-growing, but low-cost, 4G devices business, targeting mobile companies such as Reliance Jio, Airtel and Vodafone.

The company, now owned by HMD Global, has been in the market for a few months, but has realised quickly that action will be hectic in the entry feature phone market, especially after Jio launched its new 4G-internet device priced at Rs 1,500.

"Feature phone is a critical category... and we see (mobile) operators as a partner here," Ajey Mehta, India VP for HMD Global, told TOI here. "There is sizeable volume in this segment, roughly 10 million devices monthly. Nokia has traditionally been strong here, and there is huge opportunity."

Nokia does have four feature phones in India, including the new-generation 3310 device, but these lack 4G capabilities. Market analysts say that with absence of a 4G feature device, at a time when mobile operators are aggressively focusing on the category, will hit Nokia's chances.

"We are working on it... We are talking to Jio, Airtel, and Vodafone for 4G VOLTE devices. We are exploring all opportunities, " Mehta said, adding that a device may be expected soon. "It could be in the coming months."

Apart from feature phones, HMD (which holds the global rights to market Nokia brand), also sells smartphones in India that run on Google's Android operating system.

The devices are manufactured in India, at the factory of Taiwanese contract maker Foxconn, and are priced upwards of Rs 9,500 (for the Nokia3 device). The company on Tuesday launched its flagship phones, the Nokia 8, that has been priced at Rs 36,999.

Mehta said that demand has been there for the company's smartphones, despite heavy competition. However, he did not share absolute sales numbers.

HMD Global, which holds the rights for Nokia brand name, aims to rank among the top smartphone players in the next 3-5 years in India as it works towards restoring the old glory of the iconic label.

Xiaomi Diwali with Mi sale: Here's all that is on discount

Amazon and Flipkart may have been done with their festive sales for now, but that doesn't mean that discounts for customers are over. Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi is holding its "Diwali with Mi" sale from September 27-29, starting 10AM. This sale is valid across smartphones, accessories and wearables. Here is a look at all the offers:

Xiaomi Mi A1 

Xiaomi's first Android One smartphone will be available during this sale on Mi.com. This also Xiaomi's first dual rear cameras handset of 12MP wide angle and a 12MP telephoto lens for an improved bokeh effect in portrait shots.

Redmi Note 4

This handset will be available at a discount of Rs 1000 for the 3GB+32GB variant and at Rs 2000, for 4GB+64GB variant. Earlier priced at Rs 10,999 and Rs 12,999 the handsets will now be available at Rs 9,999 and Rs 10,999 respectively.

Redmi 4

The company is also offering up to Rs 1,500 off on purchase of Redmi 4. This handset is available in three variants of 2GB+16GB, 3GB+32GB, 64GB+4GB and will be available at Rs 6,999, Rs 8,999 and Rs 10,999 respectively.

Mi Max 2

The phablet from Xiaomi will be available at Rs 2,000 off. The lower storage variant of 32GB storage will be available at Rs 12,999, while the higher storage variant of 64GB storage will be available at Rs 16,999. Both handsets have 4GB RAM.

Accessories

* The Mi headphones will be available at a discount of Rs 300 at Rs 2,699.

* Xiaomi earphones too will be available at a discount. Both Mi in-ear headphones and Mi Capsule earphones will be will be available at a discount of Rs 100 at Rs 499 and Rs 899 respectively.

* As for the power banks, the 10,000mAh Mi Power Bank 2 will be available at Rs 899 and the 20,000mAh Mi Power Bank 2 will be available at Rs 1,799 after a discount of Rs 300 and Rs 400 respectively.

* The Xiaomi Mi Air Purifier 2 will be available at a discount of Rs 1,500 at Rs 8,499 and the Air Purifier Bundle, which costs Rs 12,489 will get a discount of RS 2,500 and come at Rs 9,998.

Government asks banks to rejig fees to boost e-channels

MUMBAI: The government has written to the Indian Banks' Association (IBA), asking lenders to rework their charges for customers in a manner that incentivises digital transactions over cash transactions.

In a recent communication to the IBA, the finance ministry's department of financial services has said that banks should consider cross-subsidisation of low-value digital transactions by high-value digital transactions or cash transactions. "Banks should proactively promote digital transactions and take all necessary steps to make them cheaper for customers than cash transactions," the communication said.

Some bankers see the finance ministry's statement on cross-subsidising low-value digital payments with cash transactions to mean that banks should start imposing charges on some cash deals. "Banks may re-examine the current policy of allowing certain number of free cash transactions, while charging for every digital transaction," the circular said.

Through its department of financial services, the finance ministry has been pushing public sector banks to go digital. The directions to the IBA are seen as a move to get private banks on board. Although the government has the power to issue directions to the Reserve Bank of India to come out with guidelines, it has never in its history exercised this option.

Last year before demonetisation, a report on digital payments by Ashish Das, professor of statistics at IIT-Mumbai, had suggested that banks disincentivise cash to promote electronic payments. "Our recommendation was that banks should not charge for electronic fund transfers. If you charge, the customer will choose to withdraw cash and make the payment even though this is the more expensive option for the bank," said Das.

The government has set a target of 2,500 crore digital transactions per month by the end of the current fiscal. The target is only for retail transactions and includes payments through the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) messages, Aadhaar Pay, Immediate Payment Service (IMPS) and cards.

According to Das, the government should promoting digital transactions through campaigns to achieve the target. "Hopefully, the burst in payments will come after October when banks integrate UPI with BharatQR from next month," said Das. BharatQR is a feature that will enable customers with the BHIM/UPI app to make payments by merely scanning a bar code in stores.

Last month, the ministry of electronics and information technology asked all banks to have a board-level digital payments committee to promote electronic transactions. In banking circles, it is widely expected that the government will announce fresh digital initiatives from October 

Nokia 8 with dual rear camera launched in India at Rs 36,999

NEW DELHI: HMD Global, the company that holds the license to manufacture Nokia branded smartphones has launched its flagship smartphone Nokia 8 in India. This is the fourth launch of the company this year. Earlier, it had launched its re-imagined Nokia 3310 and Android smartphones Nokia 3, 5 and 6 in India. This is the most expensive smartphone of the company till date and also the first one to sport a dual rear camera setup.

Price and availability

The Nokia 8 comes with a price tag of Rs 36,999 and will come in Polished Blue, Tempered Blue and Steel colour variants. The smartphone will be exclusively available on Amazon and offline retail stores, including Croma, Reliance, Sangeetha Mobiles, Poorvika and BigC, starting October 14. The company also announced that the Polished Copper variant will be available for purchase after few weeks. As part of the launch offer, buyers will get 100GB of 4G data from Reliance Jio.

Specifications

The USP of Nokia 8 is its dual rear camera setup which is powered by Carl Zeiss optics. The smartphone features two 13MP cameras at the rear end. The primary camera takes coloured shots with OIS, while the secondary one shoots in monochrome. The primary camera comes with aperture of f/2.0 along with PDAF and dual-tone flash. There is also a 13MP front camera with f/2.0 aperture and display flash for taking selfies in low light.

The Nokia 8 is also the first phone to come with 'Bothie' or Dual-Sight mode. Dual-Sight simultaneously harnesses both the front and rear cameras in a split screen visual for both photos and videos. The feature can be activated in one touch and promises to offer a more immersive experience will live streaming on YouTube and Facebook.

The Nokia 8 features a 5.3-inch Quad HD display with 1440x2560 pixel resolution. The display is protected with layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on top. The smartphone runs Android 7.1 Nougat operating system and as the company announced earlier, it will receive Android 8.0 Oreo update as well. The device is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor paired with 4GB of RAM. It comes with 64GB internal storage which can be expanded up to 256GB by inserting a microSD card.

The hybrid dual SIM smartphone flaunts a metal unibody design and comes with Nokia OZO audio. It is a 360-degree audio technology for better multimedia experience. It comes equipped with a fingerprint sensor placed on the front panel and is backed by a 3090mAh battery with Qualcomm QuickCharge 3.0 support. Measuring 151.5 x 73.7 x 7.9 mm, the smartphone offers 4G, VoLTE, 3G, Wi-F-, Bluetooth, USB Type C and NFC as connectivity options.

At the launch, the company also announced that Nokia 8 customers will also have access to special Nokia Mobile Care Concierge Service in 50 cities across the country. Nokia 8 consumers from these 50 cities can avail Nokia Mobile Care services from the convenience of their homes

Airtel offers 112GB of data at Rs 999 for prepaid users

NEW DELHI: In order to give tough competition to Reliance Jio, country's number one telecom operator Airtel has rolled out a new plan for its prepaid users. The service provider has introduced a plan of Rs 999 under which it will be offering 4GB 3G/4G data along with unlimited calling for the period of 28 days.

When compared to Reliance Jio's Rs 999 plan, Airtel is giving 22GB extra data to its users. The Reliance Jio 999 plan offers 90GB data for 90 days with no FUP limit. Although the price is the same, but Jio is offering validity of 90 days and Airtel's offer comes with validity of 28 days.

Apart from the Rs 999 plan, prepaid users can also go for the Rs 695, Rs 795, Rs 799, Rs 899 or Rs 1198 plans as well. Under the Rs 799 plan, users will get 3GB 4G/3G data daily for the period of 28 days. However, the plans are not available for all the Airtel users and are only available to some select users.

Along with this, the company has also started a 30GB "bonus" data offer for new customers. Under this offer, new Airtel postpaid users will get 10GB data per month for the period of 3 months. The offer will be withdrawn after the completion of three months. The company added that the offer is only valid on 4G handsets and will be provisioned after 96 hours of SIM activation.

Earlier this month, Airtel rolled out a data plan of Rs 5. Airtel's Rs 5 plan is for prepaid users and it offers users 4GB of 4G data. However, the validity of this data is only for seven days and this offer is also available for 4G handset users. 

Nokia 8 vs. Nokia 6: Price and specifications

NEW DELHI: HMD Global has finally brought its Nokia 8 flagship smartphone to Indian shores. The device is the fourth Nokia-branded smartphone this year after the Nokia 3, Nokia 5 and the Nokia 6.

The Nokia 8 comes with a price tag of Rs 36,999 and packs a good set of features under the hood. For now, this is the most powerful smartphone in the entire line up after the Nokia 6, which was launched at Rs 14,999 in India.

In case you were wondering, here is the comparison between the Nokia 8 and its lesser powerful sibling, the Nokia 6.

Display

Nokia 8: 5.3-inch QHD (2560x1440 pixels) 2.5D curved display with Corning Gorilla Glass 5.

Nokia 6: 5.5-inch full-HD (1080x1920 pixels) 2.5D IPS LCD display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3.

Camera

Nokia 8: Dual 13MP camera from Carl Zeiss and OIS and f/2.0 aperture along with a 13MP front camera with f/2.0 aperture and display flash.

Nokia 6: 16MP rear camera with dual-tone LED flash and f/2.0 aperture alongside an 8MP front-facing camera with f/2.0 aperture.

Processor

Nokia 8: octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor.

Nokia 6: octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 processor.

RAM

Nokia 8: 4GB LPPDDR4X RAM

Nokia 6: 4GB RAM

Inbuilt storage

Nokia 8: 64GB UFS 2.1, expandable up to 256GB with microSD card.

Nokia 6: 64GB, expandable up to 128GB with microSD card.

Battery

Nokia 8: 3090mAh battery

Nokia 6: 3000mAh battery

Price

Nokia 8: Rs 36,999

Nokia 6: Rs 14,999

Colours

Nokia 8: Polished Blue, Tempered Blue, Steel, Polished Copper

Nokia 6: Arte Black, Matte Black, Tempered Blue, Silver, Copper