ITV

Tag: Mac

  • Hotstuff and Genesis to handle digital mandate of Goeld Frozen Foods

    Hotstuff and Genesis to handle digital mandate of Goeld Frozen Foods

    Mumbai: Hotstuff Medialabs and Genesis Film Production have joined hands to work on the brand and social media mandate for Goeld Frozen Foods.

    Goeld is an entirely vegetarian frozen food brand that uses cutting-edge freezing technology to preserve all the nutrients, flavour, and texture of the food. ‘Mac and Cheese Pops,’ ‘Dilliwalli Dal Aloo Tikki,’ ‘Oozy Cheese Corn’ bites, are just a few of the interesting alternatives available in the product line-up. Goeld also makes other Indian breads like Lachha Paratha, a premium Malabar Paratha, and other Indian breads.

    With such a broad variety, Hotstuff and Genesis intend to take the brand digitally across platforms, focusing on product awareness and brand promotion that would eventually promote the offtake, both online and offline.

    Speaking on the collaboration, Genesis founder and director Prahlad Kakkar said, “I have been associated with the Goel family for a couple of years now and it gives me great pleasure to be entrusted with the branding of their latest venture, GOELD frozen Foods. What makes this brand stand out from the others in the category is its unique attributes to India’s diverse food cultures, offering the basics in staples to the exotic in snacking. We do have a lot in store for the brand, which will be rolled out strategically through the year, with the ad film being the big highlight to watch out for… so stay tuned.”

    About the association, Goeld Frozen Foods director Archit Goel added, “We as a brand and organisation, are looking for a huge game, and after meeting the teams at Genesis and Hotstuff, I knew that these are the individuals who can make my goal of a clean-label frozen food brand a reality while also making it simple for consumers to understand. Team Genesis and Hotstuff, as collaborators, have solutions to all our marketing and promotional needs. And yes, they’re very practical and have thoughts of the common man (not easy to find these days). I am sure that with the talent on board, we are going to work together for a longer period of time to create something like Garma-garam.”

    Working with the individuals behind the brand, Hotstuff business head associate partner Rohit Sadavarte said, “It is more interesting than working with the brand itself. Archit Goel, the team’s spearhead, is frequently portrayed as having a contagious excitement and sense of optimism.”

    “Because of this, we are free to consider and try out novel concepts and branding strategies. With Goeld as a new entrant to the Hotstuff family of clients, we are aggressively looking at spreading our wings in new directions; the future will soon see Hotsuff across categories like beverages, EV two wheelers, motor SUVs, fintech and many more,” he added.

    Goeld is a brand that emphasises its unique qualities through India’s many culinary cultures With the purpose of digitally disseminating its specialties among customers, it seeks to offer a variety of items to its clientele while also taking part in many industries. With this mandate, Hotstuff is looking to cement their place as a leading media agency that has the experience and expertise to work across verticals.

  • Q4-16: Apple Services clocks 24 per cent growth, Other Products revenue falls

    Q4-16: Apple Services clocks 24 per cent growth, Other Products revenue falls

    BENGALURU:  Apple Inc (Apple) Services product recorded a 24.4 percent year-over-year (y-o-y) growth in revenue for the quarter ended 30 September 2016 (Q4-16, current quarter) amidst a 9 percent y-o-y fall in total revenues. Apple Services includes revenue from Internet Services, AppleCare, Apple Pay, licensing and other services.

    Apple Services reported revenue of $6,325million for Q4-16 versus $5,086 million in the corresponding year ago quarter, while Apple Total revenue in Q4-16 was $46.852 million versus $51,101 million in Q4-15.

    However, across sequential quarters, Apple Services revenue increased only 5.8 percent in Q4-16 from $5,976 million as against 10.6 percent growth in total revenue from $42,358 million during the same period.

    Apple Services contribution to overall revenue grew to 13.5 percent in the current quarter from 9.9 percent in the corresponding year ago quarter, but was slightly lower than 14.1 percent in the immediate trailing quarter.

    Apple’s “Other Products’, which include sales of Apple TV, Apple Watch, Beats products, iPod and Apple-branded and third-party accessories saw a 22.1 percent y-o-y decline in revenue to $2,373 million in the current quarter from $3,048 million. Across sequential quarters (q-o-q), ‘Other Products’ recorded a 6.9 percent growth in Q4-16 from $2,219 million.

    ‘Other Products’ contribution to overall revenue declined to 5.1 percent in the current quarter from 5.9 percent in the corresponding year ago quarter and 5.2 percent in the immediate trailing quarter.

    Major Products

    Apple’s major Product is the iPhone which saw y-o-y declines of 5.3 percent and 12.6 percent in number of units sold and revenues respectively in Q4-16. iPhone sales revenue in the current quarter was $28,160 million (60.1 percent of total revenue) versus $32,209 million (62.5 percent of total revenue) in Q4-15. 40.513 million iPhones were sold in  the current quarter versus 48.046 million in the corresponding year ago quarter.

    During sequential quarters, iPhone sales witnessed growth rates of 12.7 percent and 17.1 percent in number of units sold and revenues respectively in Q4-16. iPhone sales revenue in Q3-16 was $24,048 million from 40.399 million units.

    Among Apple’s other well-known products, the iPad witnessed y-o-y and q-o-q declines in number of units sold and revenues, while the Apple Mac recorded q-o-q declines.

    Geographical split

    Apple’s segments are Americas, Europe, Greater China, Japan and Rest of Asia Pacific (APac), with the America’s contributing more than 42 percent in terms of revenue.

    Revenue from the Americas declined 7.1 percent y-o-y to $20.229 million (43.2 percent of total revenues) from $21,773 million (42.3 percent of total revenues. Across sequential quarters, revenue from the Americas increased 12.6 percent in the current quarter from $17,963 million (42.4 percent of total revenues).

    Revenue from the European segment grew 2.5 percent y-o-y and 12.4 percent q-o-q to $10,842 million (23.1 percent of total revenue) from $10,577 million (20.5 percent of total revenue) and from $9,643 million (22.8 percent of total revenue) respectively.

    Revenue from the China segment declined 29.8 percent y-o-y and declined 0.7 percent q-o-q to $8,785 million (18.8 percent of total revenue) from $12,518 million (24.3 percent of total revenue) and from $8,848 million (20.9 percent of total revenue) respectively.

    Revenue from the Japan segment grew 10.1 percent y-o-y and 22.5 percent q-o-q to $4,324 million (9.2 percent of total revenue) from $3,939 million (7.6 percent of total revenue) and from $3,529 million (8.3 percent of total revenue) respectively.

    Revenue from the APac segment declined 1.2 percent y-o-, but grew 12.5 percent q-o-q to $2,672 million (5.7 percent of total revenue) from $2,704 million (5.3 percent of total revenue) and grew from $2,375 million (5.6 percent of total revenue) respectively.

    Profits, Apple’s board declares dividend

    Apple posted a 19 percent y-o-y decline in net income at $9,014 million (19.2 percent margin) for Q4-16 versus $11,124 million 21.6 percent margin). Earnings per diluted share declined to $1.68 in the current quarter from $1,96 in Q4-15.

    Apple’s board of directors has declared a cash dividend of $0.57 per share of the Company’s common stock. The dividend is payable on November 10, 2016 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on November 7, 2016.

    Company speak

    “Our strong September quarter results cap a very successful fiscal 2016 for Apple,” said apple CEO Tim Cook. “We’re thrilled with the customer response to iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus and Apple Watch Series 2, as well as the incredible momentum of our Services business, where revenue grew 24 percent to set another all-time record.”

    “We are pleased to have generated $16.1 billion in operating cash flow, a new record for the September quarter,” said Apple CFO Luca Maestri. “We also returned $9.3 billion to investors through dividends and share repurchases during the quarter and have now completed over $186 billion of our capital return program,” added Cook.

     

  • Q4-16: Apple Services clocks 24 per cent growth, Other Products revenue falls

    Q4-16: Apple Services clocks 24 per cent growth, Other Products revenue falls

    BENGALURU:  Apple Inc (Apple) Services product recorded a 24.4 percent year-over-year (y-o-y) growth in revenue for the quarter ended 30 September 2016 (Q4-16, current quarter) amidst a 9 percent y-o-y fall in total revenues. Apple Services includes revenue from Internet Services, AppleCare, Apple Pay, licensing and other services.

    Apple Services reported revenue of $6,325million for Q4-16 versus $5,086 million in the corresponding year ago quarter, while Apple Total revenue in Q4-16 was $46.852 million versus $51,101 million in Q4-15.

    However, across sequential quarters, Apple Services revenue increased only 5.8 percent in Q4-16 from $5,976 million as against 10.6 percent growth in total revenue from $42,358 million during the same period.

    Apple Services contribution to overall revenue grew to 13.5 percent in the current quarter from 9.9 percent in the corresponding year ago quarter, but was slightly lower than 14.1 percent in the immediate trailing quarter.

    Apple’s “Other Products’, which include sales of Apple TV, Apple Watch, Beats products, iPod and Apple-branded and third-party accessories saw a 22.1 percent y-o-y decline in revenue to $2,373 million in the current quarter from $3,048 million. Across sequential quarters (q-o-q), ‘Other Products’ recorded a 6.9 percent growth in Q4-16 from $2,219 million.

    ‘Other Products’ contribution to overall revenue declined to 5.1 percent in the current quarter from 5.9 percent in the corresponding year ago quarter and 5.2 percent in the immediate trailing quarter.

    Major Products

    Apple’s major Product is the iPhone which saw y-o-y declines of 5.3 percent and 12.6 percent in number of units sold and revenues respectively in Q4-16. iPhone sales revenue in the current quarter was $28,160 million (60.1 percent of total revenue) versus $32,209 million (62.5 percent of total revenue) in Q4-15. 40.513 million iPhones were sold in  the current quarter versus 48.046 million in the corresponding year ago quarter.

    During sequential quarters, iPhone sales witnessed growth rates of 12.7 percent and 17.1 percent in number of units sold and revenues respectively in Q4-16. iPhone sales revenue in Q3-16 was $24,048 million from 40.399 million units.

    Among Apple’s other well-known products, the iPad witnessed y-o-y and q-o-q declines in number of units sold and revenues, while the Apple Mac recorded q-o-q declines.

    Geographical split

    Apple’s segments are Americas, Europe, Greater China, Japan and Rest of Asia Pacific (APac), with the America’s contributing more than 42 percent in terms of revenue.

    Revenue from the Americas declined 7.1 percent y-o-y to $20.229 million (43.2 percent of total revenues) from $21,773 million (42.3 percent of total revenues. Across sequential quarters, revenue from the Americas increased 12.6 percent in the current quarter from $17,963 million (42.4 percent of total revenues).

    Revenue from the European segment grew 2.5 percent y-o-y and 12.4 percent q-o-q to $10,842 million (23.1 percent of total revenue) from $10,577 million (20.5 percent of total revenue) and from $9,643 million (22.8 percent of total revenue) respectively.

    Revenue from the China segment declined 29.8 percent y-o-y and declined 0.7 percent q-o-q to $8,785 million (18.8 percent of total revenue) from $12,518 million (24.3 percent of total revenue) and from $8,848 million (20.9 percent of total revenue) respectively.

    Revenue from the Japan segment grew 10.1 percent y-o-y and 22.5 percent q-o-q to $4,324 million (9.2 percent of total revenue) from $3,939 million (7.6 percent of total revenue) and from $3,529 million (8.3 percent of total revenue) respectively.

    Revenue from the APac segment declined 1.2 percent y-o-, but grew 12.5 percent q-o-q to $2,672 million (5.7 percent of total revenue) from $2,704 million (5.3 percent of total revenue) and grew from $2,375 million (5.6 percent of total revenue) respectively.

    Profits, Apple’s board declares dividend

    Apple posted a 19 percent y-o-y decline in net income at $9,014 million (19.2 percent margin) for Q4-16 versus $11,124 million 21.6 percent margin). Earnings per diluted share declined to $1.68 in the current quarter from $1,96 in Q4-15.

    Apple’s board of directors has declared a cash dividend of $0.57 per share of the Company’s common stock. The dividend is payable on November 10, 2016 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on November 7, 2016.

    Company speak

    “Our strong September quarter results cap a very successful fiscal 2016 for Apple,” said apple CEO Tim Cook. “We’re thrilled with the customer response to iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus and Apple Watch Series 2, as well as the incredible momentum of our Services business, where revenue grew 24 percent to set another all-time record.”

    “We are pleased to have generated $16.1 billion in operating cash flow, a new record for the September quarter,” said Apple CFO Luca Maestri. “We also returned $9.3 billion to investors through dividends and share repurchases during the quarter and have now completed over $186 billion of our capital return program,” added Cook.

     

  • HOOQ expands viewing experience with Google Chromecast

    HOOQ expands viewing experience with Google Chromecast

    MUMBAI: In a bid to expand the viewing experience of users in the country and address the home entertainment market, video-on-demand service HOOQ app’s latest version will support Google Chromecast.

    With this, HOOQ subscribers will now be able to use Chromecast to cast movies and TV series from any connected device to their television screens. HOOQ offers unlimited streaming of over 15,000 English, Hindi and regional language films as well as TV shows on its platform. 

    HOOQ chief marketing officer Ravi Vora said, “We are very thrilled to bring the best in class entertainment from HOOQ to Chromecast users enabling them to enjoy the best content on their televisions right in their living rooms. We believe this partnership further solidifies our position as the country’s biggest premium video-on-demand service.”

    Chromecast is a thumb-sized media streaming device that plugs into the HDMI port on TVs. Viewers can use an Android phone, tablet, iPhone, iPad, Mac or Windows laptop, or Chromebook to cast the HOOQ app and its programming onto a television.

    HOOQ launched in India earlier this year with a subscription price of Rs 199 per month. Users can access entertainment content, which can be viewed on upto five connected devices. The service also offers a unique offline download feature of up to five titles at a time ensuring that there is always video content to be enjoyed even when users are offline or facing connectivity challenges.

    Customers, who purchase Google Chromecast through Snapdeal and Reliance Digital, will get free access to HOOQ for six months, which is worth Rs 1500.  

    Some of the content that is available on HOOQ includes movies like The Matrix, The Lord of the Rings, The Dark Knight Rises, Iron Man 3,Don, Chennai Express, Barffi, Kai Po Che, Lai Bhaari, Harishchandrachi Factory and Chandrmukhi, and TV shows like Friends, Nip Tuck, ER and first and exclusively in Asia – Ash vs. Evil Dead.

    .

  • Motivator retains Apple media mandate as AOR for iPhone, iPad and Mac

    Motivator retains Apple media mandate as AOR for iPhone, iPad and Mac

    MUMBAI: Motivator, one of the country’s leading media agencies has retained the Apple brand media mandate for the iPhone iPad and Mac product. The account is under the Ingram Micro & Redington account, the exclusive distributors for Apple products in India.

     

    Motivator won the account after a month long pitch process in December. The pitch process included higher weight for strategic strength, ability to think fresh ideas and execute them in alignment with Apple guidelines, Digital capability and precision execution. Motivator was chosen on the basis of strength of its strategic recommendation, its understanding of brand Apple and its executable ideas leveraging Apple’s iconic status without making it populist.

     

    The iPhone account will be handled in New Delhi while the iPad and MAC mandates will be out of the Bangalore office. The agency has been handling the Apple account for the last 14 months. Motivator will also leverage GroupM’s specialist practices- Digital, Mobile, Activation, Social, Search, Analytics, Content and Trading. Apple India spends Rs. 150 Cr. on media including Print, Radio, Digital, Activation and Out of home, with Iphone leading the contribution with more than 70%.

     

    In the last few months, the iPhone grew by 400% on the back of its new product launches and Buy Back offers. Ingram Micro and Redington decided to put the Iphone business on review given their ambitious growth plan.

     

    Rabe. T. Iyer, Managing Partner, Motivator confirmed the news and affirmed that a top team is already in place to deliver from Feb 1st onwards. “Apple’s Iconic status coupled with ‘less is more’ approach puts a huge responsibility in building cutting edge solutions keeping to the brand standard, we have successfully done this for the last 14 months and are confident of pushing the envelope further to win in the market place”. He further added, “This year the emphasis is going to be on powering iPhone sales through innovative digital solutions besides a strong content strategy across platforms. Print’s tactical use will have to be balanced by creative use of media to keep the brand in the desirable space.”

  • Vodafone launches India’s fastest data dongle k4201

    Vodafone launches India’s fastest data dongle k4201

    MUMBAI: Keeping in view the growing mobile internet penetration and data usage in India, Vodafone India, one of India’s leading telecommunications service providers, today announced the launch of Vodafone K4201, India’s fastest 3G USB Dongle with data transfer speed up to 21.1 Mbps, at a pocket friendly price of just Rs. 999 for its postpaid customers.

    Commenting on the new launch, Vivek Mathur, Chief Commercial Officer, Vodafone India said, “With the growing penetration of data, there is a constant demand for high-speed connectivity. The launch of Vodafone K4201 3G dongle, with consistent connectivity and upto 21.1 Mbps superfast data transfer caters to this demand for high speed mobile data services.”

    Stylishly designed and feature packed with new customer friendly easier user interface, the superfast Vodafone K4201 3G dongle is  best in class quality with high network efficiency and supports all major Operating Systems, like latest Window 8, Mac, Linux, Fedora and Ubuntu. For subscribers who want to store the data as well, this Dongle provides MicroSD card support with expandable memory of up to 32 GB. It is available at key Vodafone retail stores and comes in three colours, viz Black, Red and Dual Tone White & Red.

     

    As an introductory offer, customers can avail 100 % cash back on the dongle along with attractive postpaid plans:

    ·Cash Back offer – On 3G plans with rental of Rs 650, 750 & 850, get Rs 100 bill discount every month for 12 months. i.e. effectively free dongle

    ·Advance rental offer – Pay rental for 6 months & get next  2 months rental free i.e 8 months of usage, on select 3G postpaid rental plans (650/750/850)

     

    The software features of the Dongle are:

    ·New Dialer with enhanced user support functionality: Web Chat, Help Line number on dash board, Online Banner for Vodafone offer updates and troubleshooting guidance for common error codes

    ·Vodafone landing page opens on connection

    ·Online Software Upgrade: New version of dialer software can be upgraded online by the user

    ·One click access to ‘My Vodafone’ and ‘Vodafone Online’ Web Chat Support

    ·Set data usage limit alert and monitor usage

     

    New Enterprise specific functionality:

    ·Capability to disable Micro SD card functionality

    ·Capability to lock SIM card to a specific Dongle through a SIM lock / unlock tool

  • ZyXEL Launches UAG4100 Unified Dual-radio Access Gateway

    ZyXEL Launches UAG4100 Unified Dual-radio Access Gateway

    A world-class networking company that provides innovative, reliable Internet solutions for customers ranging from telecommunications service providers, small- and medium-sized businesses to home users, today introduces ZyXEL UAG4100 Unified Access Gateway–a new hospitality gateway that delivers best-in-class services and achieves high customer satisfaction for businesses in the hospitality industry. Upon the success deploying N4100 in over 8,000 hotels worldwide, the ZyXEL UAG4100 provides an advanced gateway with larger scalability to help generate revenues.

     

    Nowadays people are used to enjoy Internet connection anytime, anywhere, and a majority of them often carry more than one mobile device around. Most of the existing networking infrastructures in hospitality environments cannot catch this trend, resulting in intermittent connection and customer complaints.

     

    The UAG4100 supports dual radio frequencies, 2.4GHz and 5GHz, to serve two times of users than legacy Wi-Fi gateways. The design of dual radio automatically switches to 5GHz when 2.4GHz band is fully occupied, and digests traffic flow to avoid unstable data transmission due to the shortage of bandwidth. The UAG4100 also adopts a management platform that can handle up to 300 wired or wireless users simultaneously while prioritizing the bandwidth usage of each account. It ensures Internet connection quality, prevents bandwidth abuse and therefore increases customer satisfaction with better Internet surfing experience.

     

    The UAG4100 Unified Access Gateway helps hospitality businesses confronting the regulatory compliance challenges by recording user account information, MAC addresses, source and destination IPs, etc. for government auditing if requested.More and more governments are seriously requiring publicly accessible Internet services to record online traffics with regulations like the widely known EU Data Retention Directive (2006/24/EC). It requires businesses to retain Internet usage records for a certain period of time. Hospitality businesses need to comply with these data retention regulations to avoid legal fines and regulatory penalties; but this can become a significant burden for the owners if they do not have the right equipment.

     

    The UAG4100 takes advantage of embedded billing functions, and premise owners can utilize it to generate optimal access privileges to customers. Billing features include Web portal authentication, user-agreement login and RADIUS server authentication. The ZyXEL UAG4100 further supports SMS ticketing feature that passes the username and password required for logging into the mobile devices owned by a particular user. Subscribers can conveniently keep the information on their devices while preventing the risk of losing printed tickets.

     

    In order to cover larger venues, more access points are to be deployed. To the venue owners, accomplishing deployments quickly without affecting business operations is the biggest concern. Integrated with a WLAN controller, the UAG4100 helps installation of access points without pre-configuration. When a UAG4100 establishes connection with access points, the settings will be applied to each access point immediately, and Wi-Fi monitoring as well as management can be centrally performed via the UAG4100. It eliminates the hassles that would have come with Wi-Fi deployments.

  • Now TV continues to extend reach with Roku launch

    Now TV continues to extend reach with Roku launch

    MUMBAI: Now TV, the internet TV service powered by UK pay TV service provider Sky, is now available on Roku streaming players.

    Now TV offers instant access to Sky Movies with no contract, set-up costs or installation. New customers can take advantage of a free 30 day trial of the service, plus also benefit from a three-month introductory offer of ?8.99 a month.

    Roku users will be able to find Now TV within the Roku Channel Store and once registered for Now TV online will be able to access the movies they choose instantly. Once they have connected their Roku box to their TV and home WiFi network, Now TV customers will be able to watch their favourite movies on their main TV, as well as continue to watch them out through their smartphone, tablet or laptop.

    Now TV is already available on PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, selected Android smartphones, and other connected devices.
    Now TV customers can enjoy blockbuster releases around six months after they have ended their run in cinemas. Each month, customers can enjoy access to up to 20 new premieres – at least 12 months before they become available on Netflix or LoveFilm Instant. Sky Movies is also offering exclusive access to the most successful movie franchise ever, with customers able to enjoy all the eight Harry Potter films on-demand throughout the Christmas holidays. Other top titles which customers can enjoy in the next few weeks include ‘In Time’, ‘Young Adult’, ‘Jack and Jill’ and ‘Contagion’.

    More Sky content will also be added to Now TV, with Sky Sports due to be introduced in the next few months. This will enable Now TV customers to enjoy live action from the Barclays Premier League, Uefa Champions League, England Test cricket, Heineken Cup rugby, ATP tennis, F1, Masters Golf and more. The introduction of Sky Sports will be followed on Now TV by must-see shows from Sky 1, Sky Atlantic, Sky Arts and Sky Living, including home-grown drama, original comedy and US shows.

    Roku streaming players are known for their low prices, ease of use and quality selection of entertainment. Now TV is available on compatible Roku LT and Roku 2 XS boxes. Both are available in the UK for suggested retail prices of ?49.99 and ?99.99 respectively.

    Both models feature more than 300 channels of streaming entertainment including on-demand films and programmes; live and on-demand sports from MLB.TV and Ultimate Fighting Championship organisation; music from Rdio; photos and videos from Facebook and Flickr; news and entertainment on WSJ Live from the Wall Street Journal; FoxNews.com and others from around the world – as well as casual games like Angry Birds.

    Now TV director Simon Creasey comments, “More and more consumers are demanding easy access to a greater choice of high-quality entertainment over internet-connected devices – and Now TV is here to meet that demand. Following today’s launch on Roku, our customers now have another way of streaming their favourite movies to their main TV screen, while at the same time can continue to enjoy access out and about via iPad and smartphones. At the same time as we’re rolling Now TV out to new platforms and devices, we’re also preparing to increase the range and choice of great Sky content that our customers can access.”

    Roku VP, GM Europe Clive Hudson said, “Now TV is a tremendous addition to the growing selection of entertainment available from Roku. Now TV is a really compelling content proposition for UK consumers who want to enjoy watching the latest movies from Sky, and with no long-term contract.”

  • Bose introduces Bose Companion 5 multimedia speaker system

    Bose introduces Bose Companion 5 multimedia speaker system

    MUMBAI: Audio equipment firm Bose India has introduced the Companion 5 multimedia speaker system for computer users who enjoy movies, music, and games.

    With one USB connection, the system turns the computer into a complete entertainment hub, delivering today’s multi-channel audio content from two visible speakers and a hideaway Acoustimass module.

     
    The new Companion™ 5 system requires no software installation, no sound card upgrade, no adapters or complicated wiring for setup. With plug-and-play simplicity, it creates a desktop-theater, providing much of the performance of a fully wired five-speaker system.

    A new generation of proprietary TrueSpace surround processing circuitry, developed specifically for computer applications, enables the system to deliver a vivid, immersive soundstage without using rear speakers; sound seems to come from beyond the enclosures themselves. This technology provides the 5.1 audio experience many games and movies are encoded to deliver, and also enhances the enjoyment of stereo music collections many people now store on hard drives.

    The Companion 5 system’s speaker arrays come preassembled on stands for out-of-the-box setup. Angled for accurate performance, each array measures only 6? wide and 4? deep, fitting neatly and inconspicuously to the right and left of a computer monitor.

     
    The small control pod puts system operation within easy reach, letting users adjust volume and access one-touch muting. It also offers a headphone jack and input for an additional audio source –- such as an MP3 player.

    Bose proprietary integrated signal processing maintains accurate tonal balance even at low listening levels, ideal for users who listen in areas where louder volume could distract others. Music maintains depth and clarity, even when played softly in the office or during a late night at home.

    The Companion 5 system is compatible with both PC and Mac platforms. For the best performance, Bose recommends Windows XP or later for PC users and OS X 10.4.6 or later for Mac users.

    In addition to introducing the new Companion 5 system, Bose has updated the Companion 3 and Companion 2 multimedia speaker systems. The Companion 3 system, designed for premium stereo performance, comes with newly designed speakers now pre-positioned on stands. The Companion 2 system, offering a simple yet high-quality speaker upgrade for computers or portable players, has also been refreshed with a new speaker design.

  • Apple launches TV interface

    Apple launches TV interface

    MUMBAI: Apple is moving steadily towards its aim of changing the way consumers view entertainment in the digital arena. The company’s founder and CEO Steve Jobs has unveiled a new mobile phone and a set-top box that allows people to stream video from their computers to their televisions.

    Apple TV, the company says allows users to wirelessly play iTunes content from the Mac or PC onto the teelvision. This service can be used for movies, TV shows, music, photos and podcasts.

    Using Apple TV’s interface, one can browse and view his/her entire collection of digital media from across the room using the simple and intuitive Apple Remote. Apple TV connects to almost all modern widescreen television sets.

    Jobs says, “Apple TV is like a DVD player for the 21st century—you connect it to your entertainment system just like a DVD player, but it plays digital content you get from the Internet rather than DVDs you get from a physical store.

    “Apple TV plays the same iTunes content that users enjoy on their computers and iPods, so now they can even watch part of a movie in their living room, and watch the rest later on their iPod.”

    Apple TV has a 40GB hard drive to store up to 50 hours of video, 9,000 songs, 25,000 photos or a combination of each and is capable of delivering high-definition 720p output. Apple TV can be connected to a broad range of widescreen TVs and home theater systems and comes standard with HDMI, component video, analog and optical audio ports. Using high-speed AirPort® 802.11 wireless networking, Apple TV can auto-sync content from one computer or stream content from up to five additional computers right to your TV without any wires.

    The integration of Apple TV and iTunes lets users choose from over 250 feature-length movies and 350 TV shows in near DVD quality; four million songs, 5,000 music videos, 100,000 podcasts and 20,000 audiobooks.

    Apple also unveiled the iPhone. it has partnered with and Cingular which cloaims to be the largest wireless carrier in the US. It will be Apple’s exclusive US carrier partner the iPhone. As part of this multi-year partnership, Apple and Cingular are working together to provide innovative new features to mobile phone users, such as iPhone’s pioneering and unique Visual Voicemail, a first on any mobile phone in the world.