ITV

Category: Technology

  • Datawind aligns with TES India to provide free educational resources

     

    NEW DELHI: Datawind, which revolutionised digital educational technology with its low cost Ubislate range of PC Tablets, has signed a strategic partnership with TES India http://www.tesindia.com.

     

    With this strategic partnership Datawind would be able to offer a huge library of 5,00,000 ready-to-use teaching material to its end users. Datawind is targeting teachers’ community via this strategic partnership. Teachers and institutions can choose to teach their students absolutely free of cost by using this library. They can also teach their students an international syllabus, which can help them keep in sync with global standards.

     

    Datawind CEO and president Suneet Singh Tuli said: “We aim to bring a PC Tablet for every student in India, but the hardware itself is not enough to serve the purpose of empowerment. This partnership will allow Datawind users to access high quality, interactive and engaging educational content for free. Also this partnership will strengthen teacher’s community so that they can deliver quality education which is a need of the hour by Young India.”

     

    An application created for the purpose will have learning materials available for several courses like Bachelor of Arts, B.Com, B. Ed, general awareness, entire CBSE content, educational presentations, discussion on social topics and many more. One can even learn and teach Sanskrit online by use of this application!

     

    There is content available for special need of special children which will help teachers to understand different cases.

     

    TES is the world’s largest and 105 years-old online community by the teachers for the teachers.

     

     TES general manager Sachin Kapoor said: “We are delighted to be working with Datawind. We are committed to driving excellence in the education sector, and this partnership will help teachers to access the very best classroom resources – lesson plans, assessments, worksheets, presentations and more”.  

     

    The most amazing feature is that teachers can find employment for themselves and on the other hand students will be able to locate a great career guide for themselves too as it has Jobs services on the portal that is not chargeable.

     

    There is a selection of the most popular lesson plans covering math, English, geography, history, science, physical and health education and expressive arts. You can download as many of these lesson plans as you like for free – all you have to do is join TES India. Registration is free and takes less than a minute,” added Kapoor.

  • Comigo Duo Box galvanizes the TV market

     

    MUMBAI: Comigo, the creator of a comprehensive multi-screen TV platform, has announced the launch of a new generation of smart set-top-box, named Comigo Duo. Featuring the Android Jelly Bean 4.2.2 operating system and a strong dual-core ARM Cortex A9 processor, the set-top-box will provide new social and interactive features and capabilities for the TV viewer. Comigo Duo set-top-box is 3G / LTE enabled, ensuring that viewers can take advantage of the latest wireless communications service available.

     

    With a finger on the viewers‘ pulse for social and communications needs, Comigo Duo supports video conferencing (Skype), enabling the viewer to invite friends and family for a chat while watching their favourite programme. Keeping up with developments in mobile technology, Comigo will roll out new services that take advantage of the latest innovative solutions.

    With the Comigo Duo solution, consumers can also perform common home computing tasks, such as emailing, chatting, browsing, gaming and even document viewing and editing. Comigo attempts to bridge the gap between the complex user experience provided by personal computers and the intuitive user experience of a smart device in one handy package.

     

    “Today‘s consumer is more demanding than ever before – they want to interact and communicate with their friends and family,” said Comigo founder and CEO Dov Moran. “We have been working to overhaul the TV experience with our comprehensive multi-screen TV platform – our solutions portfolio has continued to expand to address the rapidly evolution of consumers‘ expectations.”

  • PennyWise to be digital partner for O&M

    MUMBAI:  Ogilvy & Mather has agreed to acquire a majority stake in PennyWise Solutions, a digital technology and production companies.


    PennyWise will serve as the digital technology and production centre of excellence for Ogilvy & Mather in India. It will power best practice digital delivery for the agency’s India network as well as the O&M APAC network.


    Ogilvy India chief digital office Kunal Jeswani said, “Ogilvy is one of the largest and most awarded digital agencies in India. This is not about scale. This is about excellence in every aspect of digital. Ogilvy represents excellence in digital strategy and ideation. PennyWise represents excellence in digital technology and production. They are exactly the kind of partner we were looking for.”







    The Hyderabad-based company was established by current CEO Anand Morzaria in 2003, and has grown from a six member start-up to employing more than 140 people. 


    PennyWise Solutions CEO Anand Moraria said, “PennyWise has always been at the forefront of digital and new media technology. We are excited to join hands with Ogilvy & Mather, a name synonymous with excellence in marketing communications. This partnership will help us combine our deep and proven expertise in developing digital and new media technology solutions with Ogilvy’s own offerings for clients across India and other APAC markets. Together, we will be able to meet and exceed the demands of our highly valued and expanding customer base.”


    PennyWise has over a hundred digital specialists and offers a wide range of digital services including custom application development, mobile application development, SEO, digital listening, online consumer response management systems, data analytics and business intelligence, network support and infrastructure management services.

    PennyWise has a global customer base, covering Europe and North America, as well as India.  The current client portfolio includes Vodafone India, Johnson & Johnson and WPP Agencies including Ogilvy & Mather, Soho Square and a host of others.

  • Apple makes iWork apps free, but only available on new iPhone 5S or 5C

    MUMBAI: Apple didn‘t only announce new iPhones at its press conference. The company also revealed that the apps in the iWork suite – Pages, Numbers, Keynote-plus iMovie and iPhoto – will now come free with new iOS devices. These productivity and creations apps usually cost $5- $10 each. By making them free, Apple is once again emphasizing that iOS isn‘t just for content consumption, but also content creation.

     

    Of the group, only iMovie and Numbers have a solid four-star rating on the App Store for the current versions. Pages and Keynote only rate at 3.5 stars, among iOS users. iPhoto has a rating of 2.5 stars for the current version. And though Apple added collaboration features with iWork for iCloud, there are many areas in which Google Docs is still better.

    Still, by making the iWork suite and other content creation apps free for new users Apple increases the chance that customers won‘t download third party apps and just stick with Apple‘s offerings, similar to the way many do on the Mac.

     

    This deal appears to be for those with newly purchased iOS devices only. At setup, new device owners will get a screen offering the option to download the apps for free. Existing customers can keep on paying $10 or $5.

     

    Currently, Pages, Numbers, Keynote, iMovie, and iPhoto are all still showing in the app store with their original pricing … on the old devices.

     

    For those unfamiliar with the suite, Pages is the iWork word processor, Numbers is for spreadsheets, and Keynote is the presentation maker. All of them work with their Mac equivalent programs and Microsoft Office. Beyond that, the supported file formats are very limited. It‘s possible to create and edit rich content in all three, but the apps can‘t do much of anything beyond pretty basic editing functions.

     

    iMovie and iPhoto are for editing and organising movies and pictures, respectively. Both are basic when compared to their Mac equivalents (no surprise since they‘re made to work on phones and tablets). They each provide ways to share and enhance media that are easy and accessible.

  • Vdopia wins ‘Video Rich Media’ accolade at SMARTIES APAC 2013

    MUMBAI: Vdopia has bagged the highest recognition in the category of ‘Video Rich Media‘ for its campaign for Audi A3 Sportback at the inaugural SMARTIES APAC 2013 held in Singapore. This mobile and online advertising space provider was one of the companies which aced the awards meant to felicitate the work done in the space of mobile marketing.


    Vdopia VP-APAC Preetesh Chouhan commented on the achievement, “Vdopia has consistently been at the forefront of mobile advertising solutions, delivering millions of mobile videos and rich media ad impressions for our clients. Such recognition, apart from our escalating market share, consistently propels us to do even better work and scale bigger heights at the international level.”






    He further stated, “Creativity plays a pivotal role at Vdopia. We have a technological advantage and analytical tools which enable us to get a comprehensive understanding of audience demographic, their usage, geo locations and viewing patterns. The insights into these parameters help us deliver better value for the brands in executing their mobile campaigns and positioning their advertisers on the relevant content online.”


    SMARTIES APAC 2013 recognises innovation, creativity and leadership in mobile marketing from across the region. The theme of the event this year was ‘Deconstructing mobile.‘ The event marked the culmination of the two-day long Mobile Marketing Association Forum which brought together over 250 speakers and delegates from across the Asia Pacific region and the world.


    The platform proved to be an ideal space of networking for leaders from a broad range of industry segments like FMCG, retail, automobile, ready-to-drink beverages, telecommunications, and quick-service restaurants and included representation from companies such as BMW Group, Coca-Cola, McDonald‘s, Renren, Unilever, WPP and YouTube

  • HISPASAT joins hands with Thomson Video Networks

    MUMBAI: Thomson Video Networks has announced that HISPASAT has launched a trial demonstration of Ultra HD content delivery using the High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) compression capabilities of the ViBE™ VS7000 multi-screen encoding platform. HISPASAT, a leading satellite transmission operator with a strong presence in Europe and South America, is deploying the VS7000 to deliver HEVC-encoded Ultra HD content to air via its HISPASAT 1E satellite platform. At IBC 2013 this month, HISPASAT will demonstrate live Ultra HD video streams using the Thomson Video Networks technology.  

    “This demonstration plays an important role in our plans to promote the deployment of the most cutting-edge compression and delivery formats – giving our customers the ability to offer their viewers the absolute highest-quality viewing experience,” said HISPASAT chief commercial officer Ignacio Sanchis. “With the Thomson Video Networks technology, we are hoping to create awareness within our customer base and deliver live Ultra HD streams that can be used in many different ways, such as demonstrating interoperability among manufacturers of TV sets and set-top boxes.” 

     

    Thomson Video Networks has been participating in a proof-of-concept trial with HISPASAT that ends this summer to demonstrate how its technologies can form an ecosystem to drive future commercial Ultra HD service offerings based on HEVC compression. The ViBE VS7000 will provide 4K file transcoding in HEVC, and Thomson Video Networks’ Sapphire transport stream server will play out the Ultra HD HEVC-encoded content. The open-source GPAC or VLC HEVC-enabled media players will decode the HEVC content for display on TV sets.

    This trial demonstration is also one of the first steps in the H2B2VS and UltraHD4U Eureka research projects where partners set up a satellite 4K HEVC transmission, paving the way for HEVC-based broadband and broadcast services.

     

    “By adding our own implementation of the new HEVC compression standard to the ViBE VS7000, Thomson Video Networks is paving the way for HD and Ultra HD content on any kind of device and any kind of network. HISPASAT is providing an important service to the media industry by proving that the technology exists today through the ViBE VS7000, and that it can be harnessed to encode 4K content in HEVC for actual Ultra HD delivery,” said Thomson Video Networks president Christophe Delahousse.

     

    In addition to this HEVC trial demonstration, Thomson Video Networks and HISPASAT have signed a wider cooperation agreement to jointly promote Ultra HD TV. As part of this agreement, Thomson Video Networks will be a partner to the HISPASAT 4K channel, which will be launched at IBC this year.

  • Exset introduces DMS for the cable operators of Uttarakhand

    MUMBAI: Netherland-based Exset has announced the availability of its award winning Digital Monetisation Solution (DMS) for the Television Cable Operators of Uttarakhand. 

     

    DMS is a revolutionary all-encompassing service which includes technology at the core, surrounded by localised applications, supported by business alliances delivering the objectives on the TV screens via a low cost Set Top Box (STB). One advantage via DMS – an operator asset has the potential to give the largest thrust to governance in the coming decade. 

    The Uttarkhand initiative announcement was made at the Press Conference at Dehradun recently. During the Conference, various models which could be adopted by the Cable Operators during the digitization process across Uttarakhand were also shared. 

     

    “Keeping in view the digitisation of the Cable Television in this country, we have introduced a unique proposition for the cable operators which will enable them to meet the challenges of digitisation, and also result in positive impact on their revenue stream,” said Exset BV MD and CEO Alex Borland.   

     

    “With adoption of DMS, the local cable operators of Uttarakhand will not only witness an increase in their revenues, but will also enable them to further enhance the end customer experience. This way they will be able to retain and satisfy their customers also,” said Exset BV director-business development for strategic markets Hema Suri. 

     

    Till recently, the Cable Operators across India were depended on monthly subscription fee for their revenue, which is bound to change with the digitization of television cable industry across the Country. “Once implemented, DMS would enhance the revenue stream for the local cable operators will enhance once they offer more value added services to the end customers. Exset’s solution will enable them to do so by connecting them to the flow of information,” said Exset BV regional director south Asia Pradeep Acharya. 

     

    Exset technology has already been adopted by RMEC in Cambodia, Lybid in Ukraine, Koffee Media and is used by one of the world’s largest DTH operators based in Russia.

  • Metrological Application Platform gets backing from Liberty Global

     

    MUMBAI: Innovative software developer Metrological Group has announced that it has received financial backing from new strategic investor Liberty Global, the leading international cable operator. This strategic investment will help Metrological extend its technology platform across multiple industry verticals and geographic markets.

     

    Metrological Application Platform is a key component of Horizon TV, Liberty Global’s revolutionary media and entertainment platform which has been successfully launched in four of its country operations since September 2012. Liberty Global has launched over 125 apps on the platform to date and continues to grow. Rotterdam-based Metrological has been in partnership with Liberty Global since 2010 and was recognised last year as one of the company’s most important suppliers. 

     

    As part of the investment transaction, Liberty Global Ventures director Sander Vonk will join the board of Metrological. The other members of the board are Robert Jan Lijdsman, advisor at Allen & Overy, Walter Blom, independent advisor and former CFO of Ziggo and Estro Group, and Erwin van Dommelen, Managing Partner at Merapar.

     

    “Our investment in Metrological is testimony to its cutting edge technology and great contribution to our Horizon TV platform,‘‘ said Liberty Global executive VP and CTO Balan Nair. “We believe that Metrological is well positioned to address the growing needs of the telecom industry for flexible solutions such as their app platform.’’ 

     

    “Liberty Global‘s investment reflects the strength of our innovations in the market and with our customers‘‘, said Metrological CTO Albert Dahan. “This enables us to bring our business to the next level.‘‘
     

  • Microsoft builds a brand new collaborative portal for developers

    MUMBAI: Microsoft has released a new developer network experience portal developer.microsoft.com, an intuitive single point of entry to help developers interact with Microsoft. The collaborative portal will enable networking amongst the developer community, offer expert guidance to developers and remotely solve their queries, empowering them to be more efficient as they go from idea to app.

     

    The portal offers a set of functionality to help developers leverage the collective power of the community.  With the second largest developer population based in India with 1.6 million developers; this is a very powerful tool for the entire developer community.  It also allows developers in India to connect with their peers across the world. Experts from Microsoft are just a click away once the developers are on the portal.

    Developers can bounce off their app ideas in a specially crafted area called “Perspective”. Similarly, community blogs and social feeds in the “Connect” area allow developers to share their stories, get advice and connect with Microsoft experts. The new portal provides and organises content in a way that is easy to find, identify and collaborate with.

     

    “The new developer network portal provides a single point of entry for all developers. It also resolves the issue of finding the right information which is often spread between different locations and is difficult to access. It enables developers to be more efficient, learn faster & connect with the vibrant Microsoft developer community across the world,” said Microsoft Corporation (India) director – strategic audience marketing Pratima Amonkar.

     

  • CA Media Digital appoints Ashish Joshi as VP digital and biz head Fluence

    MUMBAI: CA Media Digital (India) has announced the appointment of Ashish Joshi as vice president Digital and business head – Fluence. This appointment is a significant step towards building out CA Media‘s vision of being a strong player in the digital domain. Along with managing Fluence, Ashish will help incubate and grow various consumer facing businesses in New Media.


    CA Media Digital‘s first venture, Fluence, is one of India‘s leading online influencer networks around celebrities and brands. Fluence helps celebrities such as Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan and Karisma Kapoor, manage their digital life which includes; their social media presence, their digital endorsements, online/mobile monetisation and equity-linked investments in the digital space. Fluence also helps brands maximise their impact on audiences, by utilising the online influence of celebrities and providing specific demographic and psychographic analytics of the celebrity fan base highlighting campaign effectiveness.








    Ashish Joshi will look at further building the business and establishing new ventures while growing and driving forward the existing ones

    Ashish is a veteran in the music and digital industry and comes with over a decade of experience in content acquisition and distribution on various digital platforms in a B2B and B2C environment. Ashish is also experienced in running independent business verticals while optimising them through the implementation of various innovative ideas. An in-depth knowledge of content, along with the understanding of various distribution mediums are his key strengths.


    Prior to joining CA Media Digital, he was working with Dhingana, as VP – Business Development. His earlier stints include being Head of Digital – Universal Music India (India and SAARC) and GM at Hungama Digital Media Entertainment. Ashish holds a Master‘s Degree in Computer Software Applications from KJ Somaiya Institute of Management Studies & Research in India.


    In his new role, Ashish will report in to Rishi Negi, EVP Investee Operations. CA Media, in India is helmed by Rajesh Kamat, CEO of CA Media, supported by Rishi Negi, who heads investee operations and Vivek Raicha who heads the investment arm of the company.


    “CA Media Digital is a company focused on building consumer facing digital businesses. As a first step CA Media Digital, has launched India‘s leading Online Influencer Network around Celebrities and Brands – Fluence. With Ashish leading the Digital effort, we hope to further expand and build more such ventures. We welcome him to the CA Media team and look forward to benefiting from his talent and experience,” said EVP Investee Operations Rishi Negi on the new appointment.


    “I am excited about my new role at CA Media Digital. CA Media Digital, equipped with the learning‘s of TCG (The Chernin Group) has, in a short time , taken great strides with Fluence , a unique social corridor matrix that has caught the attention of celebrities and brands alike and is looking to building more consumer facing businesses in new media. I look forward to further building the business and establishing new ventures while growing and driving forward existing ones,” said an enthusiastic Ashish Joshi.