MUMBAI: Have an opinion on trending topics? Log on to Foreseegame.com. This unique game portal has introduced a new category of interesting and thought-provoking games called ‘Opinion Square‘. The game helps in understanding the opinion of Indians on various trending topics. The latest from ‘Opinion Square‘ is a set of ten games for smart phones which caters to the need of the gadget-savvy generation of today. This new set of games on smart phone is designed to explore the mindset of the consumers and their preferences regarding the smart phones they buy and use. Foreseegame.com which received an overwhelming response to this new set of opinion-based games, prepared a survey report in association with Microsec Research based on these results. Microsec Research is the research wing of Microsec Capital having experienced analysts across sectors. | |
17,000 users of www.foreseegame.com participated in this survey, who were registered only on the basis of unique mobile numbers. The participation was monitored by Google. The report brings out a number of interesting facts about the growing smart phone market like consumers‘ preference for touch screen phones, high-tech features, operating system and social networking on the go. The report states that majority of the buyers consider the operating system while buying a phone. Interestingly, Android holds the lion‘s share amongst the most preferred operating systems. Blackberry and Windows, with almost equal fondness, are contesting for the distant second position. Touch screen rules the market while touch and type is the second preference. Sole keypad usage is fading away. Buying trend shows that most of the people like to buy a smart phone either with E.M.I without interest or one-time payment. | |
Consumers today look for innovation related to battery like long lasting battery, wireless charger, solar power chargeable battery and link to home care management like integrated remote control for TV, A.C., home robot and car key. The report also states that even with the multiple features attached with mobile phone, it fails to replace the utility of a watch, which is still used to check time. The report has got the pulse of Indian consumers in relation to the fast growing smart phone market. |
Category: Software
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Voice your opinion on ‘Opinion Square’, a game introduced by Foreseegame.com
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Robosoft picks up investment from Kalaari Capital to hasten growth
MUMBAI: Robosoft, a leading developer of mobile apps and games, announced that the company has received funding from Kalaari Capital (formerly IndoUS Venture Partners) to accelerate growth and fund expansion. The new investment is a push to Robosoft‘s rise as one of the premier mobile application developers. It also boosts the company‘s vision to be the Partner of Choice to implement and enhance mobile experiences to leading brands and enterprises the world over.
Robosoft builds engaging applications for the iOS, Android, and Windows platforms. The business had traditionally focused on the US market but is now gaining traction in Europe, Middle East, and India too.
“Robosoft has established some great partnerships in the last few years in the mobile space. We‘ve achieved this with our focus on customer delight, engineering excellence, and investment in our people,” said Robosoft Founder and CEO Rohith Bhat. “The new investment from Kalaari will help us turbocharge our growth in new markets and industry segments, add new sales, design, engineering talent to our team, and help us move toward a full-service model.”
Commenting on the investment Kaalari Capital MD Kumar Shiralagi said, “Robosoft‘s wealth of engineering talent, their successful track record of building consumer facing products for some of the best brands in the world and their leadership position in the mobile services segment got us interested. Equally enticing were their initiatives in building global IP like ‘WordsWorth‘, ‘Camera Plus Pro‘, ‘Game your Video‘, ‘Boom‘, and the amount of traction they already had there. Their clear vision for the future got us interested and we are confident about their ability to execute on that potential.”
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Boredom and amusement lead most to use social media on Internet for cyberbullying
NEW DELHI: Research shows that boredom and amusement are behind many incidents of cyberbullying and trolling on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
Lancaster University in the United Kingdom has said in its study that those who engage in trolling – Internet user behaviour that is meant to intentionally anger or frustrate someone else in order to provoke a response – do so for their own amusement and because they are bored.
Dr Claire Hardaker, a linguistics expert from the University‘s Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, studied almost 4,000 online cases involving claims of trolling.
According to a report in The Independent newspaper, trolls operate out of a feeling of power, amusement, boredom and revenge and thrive on the anonymity which the internet provides, she found. The research identified seven tactics used by trolls to bombard their victims with insults and threats.
The seven tactics include digressing from the topic at hand, especially onto sensitive topics, and hypocriticising – pedantic criticism of grammar, spelling or punctuation in a post which itself contains proof-reading errors. Antipathising, by taking up an alienating position, asking pseudo-naive questions is another tactic used by trolls besides giving dangerous advice and encouraging risky behaviour. Trolls also employ ‘shock strategy‘ by being insensitive about sensitive topics, explicit about taboo topics, etc. They also provoke others by insulting or threatening them.
They may cross-post – sending the same offensive or provocative message to multiple groups then waiting for the response. “Aggression, deception and manipulation are increasingly part of online interaction, yet many users are unaware not only that some of these behaviours exist, but of how destructive and insidious they can be,” Hardaker said. She also found that while trolling is associated with the young, trolls come from all ages and backgrounds.
“An incredible amount of time and strategy can be involved in trolling, as my research into the techniques they use highlights,” she said. She warned that trolling can in some cases develop into more serious behaviour, including cyberharassment and cyberstalking.
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Tips Music crosses 2 million fans mark on Facebook
MUMBAI: Tips Music has become one of the largest entertainment brands on Facebook in India. The company‘s Facebook community crossed 2 million fans and has reported to have one of the highest engagement rates on the social network.
Tips was one of the last to join the social media bandwagon but has surpassed their competitors in a short span of two years. The company has the largest fan following on Facebook, not only amongst the music companies, but also in the film production companies in India.
“We‘re very excited to cross this milestone on Facebook, we appreciate all the support our fans have given us in the last few years. Our company mission has always been to give the audience quality music and films and we‘re happy to be spreading this to the digital platform. I‘m personally very active on various social mediums and enjoy having conversations with people on Facebook and Twitter,” informs Tips Industries Limited managing director Kumar Taurani.
Tips Music, unlike its competitors, broke the trend of depending only on new music to grow their community and leveraged their rich 90s music catalogue to engage with fans. “When we started our Facebook initiative, every expert we met told us the page would only grow during the time of a new soundtrack release. The problem was, at the time we only had one film up for release and a gap of a year till the next,” says Taurani.
Tips which has a catalogue of 25,000+ tracks, did not want to limit their Facebook promotions to 10-15 recent songs. “We developed a unique strategy where the main focus was to refresh people‘s memory with the music from our 90s catalogue while introducing the youth to classic songs they may have never heard,” says Tips Industries Limited senior VP and business head Sahas Malhotra.
The company also started sharing its content from films like Khal Nayak, Rangeela, Imtihaan, Phool Aur Kaante and Raja Hindustani. “Our initial interaction with people was very low. This forced us to question our decision. Though music from the 60s, 70s and 80s are considered evergreen and retro cool from a young person‘s perspective, the 90s did not yet have a label.”
Tips then started receiving messages from their fans thanking them for sharing a song they had heard 15 years ago. “People now knew where they could get the hit songs of the 90s. Our fans on Facebook then started sending pictures of a cassette, asking if the title was available digitally. This forced us to dig deeper into our catalogue and churn out compilations with songs we didn‘t even think would be popular in this day and age. We were pleasantly surprised to see the overwhelming response from the youth and it‘s a great sign to see them consuming hits from the 90s.”
Prabhudheva‘s Ramaiya Vastavaiya starring Girish Kumar and Shruti Haasan releasing 19 July, Rajkumar Santoshi‘s Phata Poster Nikhla Hero starring Shahid Kapoor and Ileana D‘Cruz on 20 September and ‘It‘s Entertainment‘ starring Akshay Kumar and Tamannah Bhatia directed by renowned screenplay writers Sajid-Farhad releasing 28 March 2014 are the forthcoming movies of Tips Music.
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worldoo.com launches doo Comics
MUMBAI: worldoo.com, India‘s first online ecosystem for kids, have announced the launch of doo Comics. The comic will be exclusively available on worldoo.com.
worldoo.com will create 8 parts of the series “The Discovery of worldoo” and the first edition of the same is named as “The Last Mission”. worldoo.com will release one edition of these series each month and will also add some new titles over the course of the next year.
The first comic talks about worldoo‘s peace-loving character – Nakamota, a topography expert and his efforts to find some help for him to get back to city from the island where he was stuck after his plane had crashed during the World War II.
“We are thrilled to launch the first digital edition of The Last Mission on worldoo.com, as we have always embraced original ideas from our own character(s). With the launch of doo Comics on worldoo.com, we see it as a continuation of our on-going commitment to delivering quality, original experiences online to the kids”, said worldoo.com experience & brand head Harsh Wardhan Dave.
worldoo.com‘s mission is to take comic books far beyond the printed page and into the digital world. With worldoo‘s wide online following, it is hopeful to help bring its stories to millions of new readers every week.
Worldoo.com got a good response from kids on the digital platform, within the launch of two months the website attracted 18,000+ kids in a short span of time. Worldoo.com has got around 1.13 lakh unique visitors and over 2.5 million page views till now. Kids are loving worldoo.com – as a result, average time spent is close to nine minutes and 11 page views are happening per visit, which is very encouraging for the platform.
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SVG Media attains a new milestone in the Indian digital media space
MUMBAI: SVG Media has gone on to retain its leadership position with the current expanded reach of 31.2 million unique visitors. As per the latest comScore numbers, SVG Media (including all its entities: Tyroo, PrecisionMatch and DGM India) is the third largest display ad-network in India after Google and Tribal Fusion and the largest Indian display ad-network that reaches out to 47 per cent of the internet audience over a three monthly average.
In addition to this, SVG Media boasts of the fastest rate of growth in terms of audience reach. As per comScore, Total Unique Visitors (000) to SVG Media increased 75 per cent since May 2012 which is higher than that of any other network in India.
SVG Media not only has a significantly higher reach than that of other Indian ad-networks for May 2013 but also the highest three month average reach in the Indian Display ad ecosystem. The average daily visitors and total page views for SVG Media stand at 3.8 million and 863 million respectively.
SVG Media claims to be the only Indian media network offering the largest reach across verticals such as Automobile 80.3 per cent, Technology 63 per cent, Telecom 65 per cent, Business Finance 58 per cent and B2B 75 per cent.
comScore is the industry benchmark for measuring display ad-ecosystem and it does not track text links, e-mailers and other similar inventories which constitute a significant proportion of SVG Media‘s portfolio apart from display.
SVG Media‘s audience break-up includes 60 per cent male and 40 per cent female audiences on the internet. The 60:40 male to female ratio is in line with the overall internet user average. About 76 per cent of SVG Media‘s audience reach comes from the age bracket of 15-34yrs, giving an advertiser the opportunity to target a wider set of audience and to choose the most appropriate mix of internet audience basis their objectives.
comScore Media Metrix monitors only the online activities of individuals within a universe, these can be defined as audience 15 years and above who have accessed the internet from either a home or a work computer in the past 30 days. comScore does not monitor internet usage activities that are undertaken from an internet cafe or other public/shared computers.
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Kolkata Cable Operators protest against MSO policies, to observe bandh tomorrow
NEW DELHI: Around 3000 cable operators in the eastern metropolis of Kolkata came on the streets today headed by the Cable Operators Sangram Committee to protest the various packages being offered by broadcasters and multi-service operators as these were not being accepted by the consumers.
These LCOs also decided to hold a 24-hour bandh tomorrow from 9.00 am in support of their demands, which they claimed had the full support of the end consumer.
A memorandum of demands was also presented to the office of West Bengal Chief Minster Mamata Banerjee, who personally holds the Information portfolio.
The LCOs marched from Ramakrishna Mission`s Swami Vivekanda Ancient House in North Kolkata to Subodh Mullick Square in Central Kolkata to protect the Freedom of Subscribers choice.
The memorandum said it was very strange that many MSOs had not yet published any PAF from were a Subscriber choose there package, and no a la cart rate had been provided. The LCOs also opposed the attitude of MSOs towards LCOs, still demanding unfair and unjustified monthly amounts by raising invoices on LCOs. In case of non payment against their illegal invoices, they deactivate all the STBs of that LCO without any notice.
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Hathway Cable seeks shareholder nod to enhance borrowing limits
MUMBAI: Being one of the first movers in the cable TV industry, the Rajan Raheja group promoted Hathway Cable & Datacom, has been aggressively pushing the agenda of digital addressable systems (DAS) nationally. And its aggressive digitisation drive means it has to have oodles of cash when it needs it.
And it is taking steps to ensure that its pockets are bulging with cash. The cable giant earlier this week informed the bourses about it seeking an approval from its shareholders in order to raise the borrowing limits.
Hathway leads the Rs 37,000 crore Indian television industry with a handsome 23.5 per cent market share across 140 cities with over 71 analogue and 20 digital head ends across India.
In light of its great potential in installing set top boxes in subscriber homes, and also considering the effective implementation of the broadband initiatives, the Hathway directors considered it savvy to extend their current borrowing limit of Rs 1,200 crore to Rs 1,400 crore. Earlier this year (25 February 2013) Hathway‘s board had got its shareholders‘ nod (through postal ballot) to enhance its borrowing limit to Rs 1,200 crore but deeming it insufficient, it has once again asked to increase it by Rs 200 crore.
As per section 293(1) (d) of the Companies Act, 1956, the power of the board of directors to borrow money(s) in excess of the aggregate of the paid-up capital and free reserves of the company, requires an approval from the shareholders of the company.
Apart from seeking an approval on an ordinary resolution for increasing the borrowings limits of the company, the BOD also seeks the shareholder‘s affirmation for bestowing the powers upon the BOD to create a charge/hypothecation/mortgage on the movable/immovable properties of the company for securing the borrowings of the company as it may consider fit.
The deadline for the postal ballot has been dated 22 July 2013, before which the shareholders must return the form attached with the self addressed postage prepaid envelope to the scrutiniser. The alternate medium available is through the e-voting platform provided by the company.
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Blaupunkt launches Velocity and Blue Magic sound range
MUMBAI: Blaupunkt one of the leaders in car infotainment and sound, launched their range of high performance sound – Blue Magic and Velocity.
The company claims that Velocity is the new reference for sound and redefines the limits of what is possible. Oversized magnets, optimal basket geometry, hard-wearing surrounds and quality cone & tweeter materials, is deemed to provide rich sound reproduction for any music type.
The Velocity brand from Blaupunkt was first introduced in 1997. With this new launch, the Velocity range is back, setting a new standard in car hi-fi systems
The new Velocity range uses breakthrough digital sound technology, innovative materials, smarter design and coordination of individual components – all make velocity a good live sound reproduction.
The company claims that Blue Magic provides rich and smoothsound, that will be entertaining with a high-end listening experience filled with optimal clarity and rich bass beats. These speakers are specially designed with attention to details and high quality injected PP membranes. The surface structure and innovative cone colours, together with its attractive rubber ring to cover the magnets, and stylish 6-head screws, give the Blue Magic products a modern, premium look and feel across the entire product line.
Commenting on the launch, Blaupunkt India director Pankaj Jagwani said, “With four times more power, the velocity car audio range promises to change the sound experience in India, whereas the Blue Magic Series are meant to give you high power, deep bass, and great peak power handling.We are confident that both these products will be well received by the auto industry in India.”
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Banking on social media
MUMBAI: Given the customer centric nature of banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) business, it is evident that banks need to constantly engage with their customers. And what better platform than using the digital medium that gives them the scope to interact with their customers on a regular basis.
It is no surprise to see the banking sector using popular outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and YouTube to connect with their customers and attract new ones.
Here‘s how two BFSI entities – SBI Life Insurance and HDFC Bank use social media“The digital platform is an opportunity for us. However, to unlock its potential to the maximum, it makes sense to view the possibilities holistically, rather than confining it to merely a function or limiting the scope to a single dimension. We use the digital space for customer acquisition, brand building, service and distribution,” says SBI Life Insurance vice president and head-brand corporate communication and cross sell Chandramohan Mehra.
SBI Life Insurance which initially followed a strategy of having differentiated content on Facebook and Twitter, now with its increasing fan base is transforming it into a holistic channel. “We are now stretching the scope of social media presence to promote and facilitate online product purchase, customer education and employee and distributor recruitment,” informs Mehra.
SBI Life is the only life insurance company to have a website in nine Indian languages. “This enables customers to understand our products and services in language they are most comfortable with, before taking a well-informed decision,” he adds. And the company is using its social media presence to draw in potential and existing customers to its own website to keep them informed about developments, products and offerings.
The insurance company is involved in creating video content in the area of customer education and services, specifically for online visitors. “We have developed apps and games including a virtual life insurance crossword, contests on facebook, e-life insurance dictionary and tax calculator. With increasing penetration of smart phones, we have intensified our efforts on developing apps that will be relevant to both internal and external audiences,” reveals Mehra.
The use of digital media has helped companies to collect sizable amount of data about the customer‘s needs. The challenge, however, is to make sense of it. “Based on web analytics, integrated with social customer relationship management, one of the possibilities that exists is reaching out to the relevant audience, with targeted message at the right place and time,” Mehra opines.
SBI Life Insurance creates content for YouTube which caters to varied audiences. “While prospective customers are served through viral ads and educational videos, for existing customers we have service related videos. We engage our employees and potential agents through testimonial videos and the general public through content pertaining to awards and recent recognitions bagged by SBI Life,” informs Mehra. SBI Life Insurance, which currently has 626,272 likes (at the time of writing) on its Facebook page, feels the fans on Facebook are irrelevant if it doesn‘t engage them.
Engagement score is one of the key metrics we closely follow and we have one of the best engagement scores in the BFSI,” says Mehra. The insurance company has launched many exciting online campaigns. “In light of the Uttarakhand tragic event, we have started speedy claim assistance on our Facebook page. This is one of our initiatives through which we are trying to reach out to our existing customers,” he informs.
HDFC Bank also engages its customers across social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, Linkedin, Google Plus, Pinterest and Foursquare. “We use updates, offers, financial awareness tips and monthly contests and applications to interact with customers on regular basis,” says a senior official from HDFC Bank. HDFC Bank currently has over 1.5 million fans on Facebook and a total of over 15,000 followers on Twitter handles.
HDFC Bank gives financial awareness tips and hosts monthly contests to interact with customers
“Given the customer centric nature of business, we have to ensure that we are present where our customers are and they are present on social media, voicing their views, opinions and engaging with others,” he adds. The bank posts a variety of content on various digital platforms including financial trivia, quizzes, opinion polls, offers on credit and debit cards, bank news, information about their products and services and comments around personal finance, etc.
“Impressions are generated when viewers see and react to these posts. Updates are created specific to the kind of platform being used for communication,” reveals the senior official.
“We use digital media to monitor customer feedback, address customer queries/complaints, communicate our products and services and derive insights on them from customers, educate customers, increase financial awareness and also do location based targeting of offers,” he adds.
HDFC Bank, through its various social networking platforms tracks, identifies and responds to various issues highlighted by customers online. “We are one of the few banks in India which allows users to post on our Facebook page and have been recognised as the most responsive brand on Facebook in India,” he informs.
The bank has tailored its digital content to help customers learn about their products (including offers and deals), knowledge on managing their finances and gain insights on the economy and finance.
The digital bug has crawled into the banking sector. With the changing financial paradigm, banks have found an easy way to stay connected to its customers.