Mobility Monthly Magazine
May 2016
Issue 5
Volume 13
Pages 34
20
www.mobilityindia.com
beyond technology, beyond lifestyle
The Changing Dynamics of
Smartphone Market in India
interaction Dr. Johnson LUo
VP Overseas BU, Coolpad
new entrant Sudhir kumar CEO, Transsion Holding
Contents
4
News 8 Launchpad 12 INTERACTION
16
Coolpad Gears up After Its First Wave of Success
Editor : Swapan Roy Chief Editor : Manoj Jha Associate Editor (Tech,) : Jayanta Ghosh Asst. Editor : E.J. Jawahardatham Art Director : Anit Kumar Creative Head : Karmendra Singh Negi Acct. & Finance : Sandip Sarkar Marketing Manager : Tridip Dey Marketing Executives : Sujit Goswami, Pratap Biswas S. Dutt Raj Kumar Circulation Manager
India is Strategic Focus Point for Us
:
P. Biswas
Production : Ashish Ghosh Ashok Kumar Paul
special story
18
System Manager
: Ajay Biswas
The Changing Dynamics of Smartphone Market in India
review iBall Slide Snap 4G2 Loaded with 2GB RAM and Lightning 4G
24
Canon EOS-1D X Mark II Redefines Professional Still and 4K Video Imaging
26
new entrant
28
After China and Africa, itel enters India with significant investment plans
MAKE IN INDIA
30
Micromax strengthens its ‘Make in India’ commitment: Inaugurates its manufacturing plant in Telangana
apps 32 List of Windows apps that will transform your Windows Smartphone into your own Personal….
H.O.: Delhi / Editorial Office Roy Mediative A-23, 1st Floor, Okhla Industrial Area, Phase-I, New Delhi-110020 (INDIA) Mob: 09810380882, 09811346846 Ph: 91-11-41602841, 65683896, 40536384-87 Redg.Off.: 38-B / 56 Block, C. R. Park, New Delhi-110019 (India). Branch Office: Mumbai: E-mail: roy@ mobilityindia.com Kolkata: 105/12B, Dum Dum Road, Sil Colony, Kolkata-74 Contact: 09330922965; 09903392620 E-mail : roy@ mobilityindia.com Orissa: Saraswati Behera Building, Kharavella Nagar, 2nd Lane, Near Jyoti Nagar, Berhampur-760001 (Orissa) (India) Contact : Raj Kumar-09338410809, 09439263711 Email : info@mobilityindia.com ncn_reporter@yahoo.com Mobility Monthly News Paper, Printed, Published & Owned by Swapan Roy at 38-B / 56 Block, C. R. Park, New Delhi-110019 (India). Printed at Pushpak Printer, C-96, Okhla Industrial Area-I, New Delhi-20. Retail selling price of a magazine copy Rs. 20/-. Annual subscription Rs. 240. Editor
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Mobility May 2016
www.mobilityindia.com
6
editorial
The Changing Dynamics of Smartphone Market in India With India, becoming the largest smartphone market, different brands are competing hard to establish, retain and increase their market shares, focusing on different features which they think would give them advantage in wooing customers: better User Interface (UI), more effective selifie cams, Virtual Reality and 3DTV/projector-like performance and a convergence of these features appear on top of their strategies. With increasing competition, prices are expected to come down and features are expected to go up in the coming months. This issue also carries a list of Windows apps that will make your smartphone still smarter. Swapan Roy roymobility@gmail.com
Next, we see Make in India initiative is translating into a reality with several brands starting and other planning their manufacturing and assembling plants in India. Hope you will enjoy reading this issue until we comeback with a new theme next month.
Editor’s Choice
Lenovo ZUK Z1 Lenovo India launched Lenovo ZUK Z1. The ZUK Z1 is backed by Cyanogen OS 12.1, which is a fluid operating system with a number of advanced features optimized for performance, power consumption, security and privacy. The Lenovo ZUK Z1 offers high performance with the capacity of 64GB eMMC 5.0 inbuilt storage and is backed by a 2.5 GHz Snapdragon 801 processor along with 3 GB RAM. The ZUK Z1 comes equipped with USB 3.0 Type C with reversible plugin design which supports a blazing transfer speed of up to 5 Gbit/s. Equipped with Lenovo’s PerfectView (100% NTSC gamut) 13.97 (5.5) display, the Lenovo ZUK Z1 offers a high 1500:1 contrast ratio and 450 Nits brightness. On the rear panel, the phone comes with a 13 megapixel camera with optical image stabilization, and dual LED flash and the selfie camera is an 8 megapixel.
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News
GSMA Urges India’s Telecom Commission to Reduce Spectrum Auction Reserve Prices
The GSMA is concerned that, if the Telecom Commission maintains the current reserve prices for 700MHz spectrum in India, there is the risk of a failed auction or, at a minimum, serious limitations on investment capability in next generation networks, denying the enabling social and economic power of this important spectrum resource to the citizens of India. The reserve prices for this much-needed spectrum are unrealistic in relation to the economics of the mobile industry. In fact, the total recommended reserve prices of INR 536,239 crore for the spectrum bands in the auction are almost double the cost of all spectrum investment to date in India. This equates to more than 20 times the annual free cash flow of the entire mobile industry in India.”
K7 & K10 Will Be LG’s First Made-In-India Smartphones
LG announced the launch of K7 and K10, the first smartphones the company will be making in India. The move reiterates the company’s long term commitment to India and its customers in the country. The K-Series smartphones will be the first to offer LG’s glossy pebble design, a contemporary, stylish look with a curved, modern finish aimed at a younger audience. The glossy pebble design is complemented by LG’s new 2.5D Arc Glass for a smooth and seamless style that could only be made possible due to the sides of K-series smartphones being free of button clutter. With design cues borrowed from nature, the K10 and K7 look far more expensive and exclusive than they really are.
BT Works With CIOs to Achieve the ‘Digital Possible’ BT announced the launch of “The Digital Possible a global initiative aimed at empowering CIOs to better embrace ambitious digital transformation agendas for large organizations all over the world. BT’s initiative will bring to market a wide range of new digital services, building on insight from its most recent research, “The BT CIO report 2016 – the digital CIO. According to BT’s survey of 1030 senior IT decision makers based in eleven countries, CIOs around the world are embracing digital transformation to reinvent their organizations’ processes
and systems. The impact of digital is such that the importance of the CIO at boardroom level continues to rise; 72 per cent of senior IT decision makers say that the CIO has become more central in the boardroom over the last two years and 43 per cent of CIOs say that they now spend more time dealing
Adit Infratel appoints Kalarthi Enterprises as its Consignee for Jaipur
Adit Infratel Pvt Ltd has appointed Kalarthi Enterprises as its consignee for Jaipur, Rajasthan. This move would help the company streamline and expand its operations in Rajasthan, an important market with immense growth potential. Kalarthi Enterprises would be responsible for managing distribution of Adit Infratel’s brands: Advent and EBAK, which would effectively address stock availability issues while allowing distributors and the company to significantly ramp up sales.
Mobility May 2016
with corporate issues. The flip side of this trend is that CIOs find themselves increasingly challenged to find the time to develop creative solutions for the business. Close to two-thirds (61 per cent) of senior IT decision makers feel that the CIO is spending more time maintaining current IT systems than searching for new solutions. That is a drop from 2014, when the figure was 74 per cent, but shows that despite ambitions for digital transformation, the CIO still has to deal with legacy systems.
Snapdeal appoints former Zoomcar Sr VP Mayank Jain as Head of Growth Snapdeal announced the appointment of Mayank Jain as Head of Growth. A seasoned professional with over 10 years of experience, Mayank joins Snapdeal after a successful stint with Zoomcar where he led the Products and Analytics, and Digital Marketing functions. He has also worked at Mu Sigma Business solutions, Advanta Corp and Capital One prior to that. At Snapdeal, Mayank will be leading user growth strategy and focus on harnessing the value of analytics to build a high performing growth strategy. He will play a pivotal role in building a roadmap for the company’s vision of achieving 20 million daily transacting users by 2020.
10
News
Intex Technologies Appoints Pramuch Goel as Chief Communications Officer
Intex Technologies announced another senior level executive appointment of Pramuch Goel as the Chief Communications Officer. In this role, he will be responsible for leading and providing strategic direction to the corporate communications function across all the business verticals and group companies. He will also be responsible for managing the brand image for ‘Gujarat Lions’, the IPL team owned by the company. Speaking on the appointment, Keshav Bansal, Director – Intex Technologies and Owner – Gujarat Lions, said, “I am pleased to welcome Pramuch to the Intex family. He brings with him extensive industry experience, which will help us tremendously in furthering our fast growing brand. I am sure that Pramuch will help develop our reputation capital at all levels and for multiple audience sets concurrently. I wish him all the best in his new innings with us.”
Ericsson IoT Accelerator Enables Industries to Put Data to Work
Ericsson announced the IoT Accelerator. IoT Accelerator combines horizontal, feature-rich IoT platforms with Ericsson’s services and a marketplace where customers from sectors such as public safety, utilities, transport and smart cities can connect with partners and monetize their solutions. The IoT platforms’ capabilities include data management, billing, device management, connectivity services and analytics. IoT Accelerator will leverage the Ericsson Cloud System to support hybrid cloud deployments and meet data sovereignty and security requirements. All main connectivity standards are supported, and the Accelerator will leverage Ericsson’s Cellular for Massive IoT software solutions, including support for NBIoT, LTE Cat-M1 and EC-GSM-IoT technologies for low power wide area applications.
Netflix Introduces New Cellular Data Controls Globally
As they launched Netflix around the world, have seen big differences in how much people are streaming on smartphones and what kinds of mobile data plans they have. Now they are offering a new tool to help you better control how much data you use when streaming on cellular networks. The default setting will enable you to stream about 3 hours of TV shows and movies per gigabyte of data. In terms of bitrates, that currently amounts to about 600 Kilobits per second. Our testing found that, on cellular networks, this setting balances good video quality with lower data usage to help avoid exceeding data caps and incurring overage fees. If you have a mobile data plan with a higher data cap, you can adjust this setting to stream at higher bitrates. Our goal is to give you more control and greater choice in managing your data usage whether you’re on an unlimited mobile plan or one that’s more restrictive.
Taiwan is bullish about ‘Smart Products for Smart Cities’ in India
The Taiwan Industry Enhancement Project is happy to take part in the 2nd Smart Cities India 2016 exhibition and will set up the Taiwan Excellence Pavilion to showcase 47 leading Taiwanese brands, 124 smart products themed ‘Smart products for smart cities’in technology and home industry.
A group of 47 brands offerings products in smart ICT, smart healthcare, Internet of Things (IoT) solutions, smart-life devices industries have pledged partnership with Smart Cities Expo.
Mobility May 2016
Idea brings direct carrier billing on Google Play
Getting all the content you love on Google Play has just become easier for all Idea customers. Taking away the hassle of paying for your favorite content like apps, games, & movies a through credit card, Idea; the fastest growing telecom operator in India, today introduced Direct Carrier Billing on all app purchases made on Google Play for its customers. Introduced in India for the first time, with this integration, Idea paves the way for a new and secure way to buy and enjoy digital content via a smartphone. This premium service allows Idea subscribers to pay for all applications, content and in-app features on Google Play with the cost being directly charged to the subscribers’ existing phone credit – be it post-paid or pre-paid. The subscribers will have to merely choose the Idea billing option when prompted during the purchase. A nominal convenience charge will be included in the final transaction.
LaunchPad
Micromax launches Canvas Mega 2
Aimed at strengthening the company’s portfolio in the phablet segment, Micromax Informatics introduced Canvas Mega 2, its new large-screen
Elite Note Smartphone from Swipe Launched on Flipkart Swipe launched Elite Note – a bigger, bolder& better smartphone that promises to provide a genuinely enjoyable and powerful experience– without making a dent on pockets, exclusively on Flipkart. Elite Note boasts of superior design, premium build quality and powerful hardware at a disruptive price point.
JIVI Mobiles launches new range of products starting from Rs 699 to Rs 1199 smartphone for the young, evolved, hyper-social and on the go consumers. Part of Micromax’s successful Canvas Mega range.
Zebronics launches UFO Bluetooth Speakers with Cordless Handset
Zebronics unveils a new addition to its extensive speaker range, this time in the form of the ‘UFO’ Bluetooth Speakers. Designed specifically for the homes, conference rooms, executive offices,
JIVI Mobiles launched its new product portfolio of feature phones starting from Rs 699 to Rs 1199 in India. Demonstrating great style combined with advanced technology, the devices aspire to be the ideal companion for people who are looking for offering seamless and enhanced user experience at an affordable price. Commenting on the range of products launched, Mr. Pankaj Anand, CEO, JIVI Mobiles said “We are extremely h a p p y to bring seven new products to suit the pocket of everyone who wants to have a phone and is unable to afford the expensive phones available in the market. The products will cost just Rs 699, Rs 799, Rs 849, Rs 949, Rs 999 and Rs 1099 and Rs 1199.
TP-LINK Revolutionizes Wireless Networking With Archer C50
and SoHo environments, the UFO redefines the traditional design of conference phones setting new standards of keeping the line of communication Loud and clear. Priced at Rs. 2999, UFO is sleek, slim and stylish facade.
TP-LINK announced the launch of AC1200 Wireless Dual Band Router Archer C50 for seamless HD streaming, online gaming and other bandwidth-intensive tasks. Archer C50 leverages the 802.11ac technology, which helps ensure uninterrupted Wi-Fi connectivity to multiple devices in home and functions as if multiple devices have their own dedicated router. Archer C50 comes with the next generation Wi-Fi standard – 802.11ac, 3 times faster than wireless N speeds and delivering a combined wireless data transfer rate of up to 1.2Gbps.
Ambrane India announces its First in India- Triple output Power Bank P-1122
Making sure that your phone continues to work and play with you, Ambrane India unveils the first in India ‘Triple Output 10000 mAh Power Bank P-1122’ exclusively with Paytm. The device charges up to 3 power deprived devices at the same time with 3 built in options experiencing the better than never portability and high charging efficiency.
Priced at Rs. 799, P1122 is designed to suit the everyday needs, the Triple Output sports an elegant finish that looks luxurious and feels great in your palm.
SanDisk Reinvents its Flash Drive for iPhone and iPad
SanDisk launched the next-generation iXpand Flash Drive, a mobile storage device designed to help people quickly and easily free up space on their iPhone a n d iPad with up to 128GB of additional capacity. The iXpand Flash Drive features a new, modern design that fits with most iPhone and iPad cases, a USB 3.0 connector for faster transfer speeds to Mac or PCs, and a completely redesigned app to easily manage photos, videos and music.
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LaunchPad
CREO Launches Mark 1 Runs on FUEL OS
CREO, a Bangalore based consumer technology company, unveiled its proprietary stock Android based Operating System – FUEL OS which,
powers a top-of-the-line smartphone – Mark 1. The in-house developed hardware and software, together boast of a New Phone, Every Month experience. The CREO Mark 1 devices will be available on the company’s official website and on Flipkart for purchase at Rs. 19,999.
Meizu launches the m3 note in India
Meizu expanded its robust product portfolio, by unveiling its latest offer-
ing the Meizu m3 note MEIZU entered the Indian market last year with its flagship phone MX5 in August and since then has made rapid strides in the Indian market by offering two additional products the m2 note and m2. With the launch of the m3 note, Meizu is well positioned to reinforce its position as a leading brand offering top of the line products at an attractive price point.
Mobility May 2016
Lenovo launches the pocket friendly Lenovo Ideapad 100s
Kingston Ships Management Lenovo announced the launch of its thin and light Ready, Hardwarelaptop, Ideapad 100s. The slim, light and portable Ide- Encrypted USB apad 100s has a long battery life and its light weight Flash Drives
design caters to users who are on the go and need to stay connected all day long. Engineered for value, the IdeaPad 100s delivers great performance at an affordable price. Backed by a Quad Core Intel Atom processor, this device provides a power packed performance that runs up to 8 hours without plugging in, so users can work, browse online, and watch videos with minimal interruption. The 1366×768 HD display provides great image quality with wide viewing angles. The Dolby Advanced Audio provides a crisp audio experience.
The massive leak of confidential documents recently not only reveal the hidden wealth of politician and businessmen worldwide, but also reiterate the importance of information security. DataTraveler 4000G2 with Management (DT4000G2DM) and DataTraveler Vault Privacy 3.0 with Management (DTVP30DM) solve the needs
Karbonn Mobiles forays into virtual reality with the launch of its VR Smartphone range
Karbonn Mobiles introduced Karbonn VR glasses for an immersive Smartphone experience. The glasses would be available with the newly launched VR Smartphone range comprising of Karbonn Quattro L52 and Karbonn Titanium Mach 6. Made of sturdy ABS plastic fibre, Karbonn VR Glasses offer an enhanced, life-like viewing experience and has implications for variety of users including entertainment buffs, gamers, educationists, fashionists, archeologists, etc. The glasses come fitted with bi-convex lenses which augment a video to provide a theatre-like experience making it a highly useful tool for archiving walkthroughs of popular historical monuments, museums.
of organizations required to meet Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) and protect data at the highest level across their mobile workforce. Both devices can be used as a managed solution via the SafeConsole Encryption Management Platform from DataLocker Inc, Kingston’s partner for encrypted USB drive management.
iBall begins the Digital revolution launched Windows 10 Laptop for Just Rs. 9,999
iBall in strategic association with ecosystem players, Intel and Microsoft, sparks digital revolution in India with launch of its latest category laptops – under its sub-brand “iBallCompBook” offering laptop at a revolutionary price of Rs. 9,999 only. With this new offering, iBall aims to address the need of affordable computing, in line with the Honorable Prime Minister’s Digital
India Initiative, to narrow the gap between consumer needs and the devices currently available in the market. iBallCompBook laptops launched in two variants – 11.6” Excelance and 14”Exemplaire. iBallCompBookExcelance with 11.6” is launched at Rs. 9,999. iBallCompBookExemplaire 14” is also presented at anextremely appealing price of Rs. 13,999.
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interaction
Dr. Johnson LUo VP Overseas BU, Coolpad
A
s a new brand in India, Coolpad wants to reach out to the masses to establish the reputation and influence, strategically with the two handsets that they have launched in India targeting under Rs 10,000 segment. They were a big hit in 2015. In an interaction with Mobility India Dr. Johnson Luo, VP Overseas BU, Coolpad, elaborates about their company’s aggressive expansion plans for India. Coolpad is leading the 4G market in China with cutting-edge products, thanks to its continuous investment in R&D. In addition, Coolpad has made forward-looking deployment of intelligent hardware and 5G, well ahead of the competitors. When the 5G era arrives, Coolpad will be able to provide products that better meet the consumer needs. We have brought many models to our partners and helped them to succeed. Now it’s our turn to build Coolpad brand. In those years, we were learning what Indian customers wanted. They want performance and innovations, which are exactly what we are good at. That’s why Coolpad has been so successful with Note 3 and Note 3 Lite. Its sales number has been more than our expectations.
What are your priorities before launching your products in India? The first thing before entering a market is to understand its needs. We have seen a great demand for large memory and security from end users, especially at the current price segment of Coolpad. 3GB RAM brings stable performance. Indian customers particularly like multi-tasking and try different apps at the same time,
Mobility May 2016
so we addressed that problem. Fingerprint sensor protects users’ privacy. I have seen some product reviews: customers consider our fingerprint sensor as highly responsive and better than competition. We made this breakthrough technology possible for the Indian Masses. As a new brand in India, we want to reach out to the masses, first to establish our reputation and influence and that’s why we targeted under Rs 10,000 segment. It also matches our brand aspirations to be the brand that brings innovative technology to our customers.
‘Make in India’ plans for Coolpad? We have been working with Videocon for quite a while and almost every Coolpad product now is made in India. Our headquarters have sent many engineers, QA and NPI to Videocon factory and they brought advanced technology to support our partners. We have another plan which is to build a component supply chain. We want to bring our partners from China who provide us important suppliers and want them to ‘Make in India’. Thus together we can bring greater benefits to the Indian Mobile Industry. That’s the actual ecosystem we are talking about, an ecosystem of supply chain.
Please brief us on your big plans for 2016 in India. As per our India strategy for coming 3 years, we first entered India market through online channel. This year also our main focus will be online and build strong partnership with our online partner Amazon. Because
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Coolpad Gears up After Its First Wave of Success India is
Strategic Focus Point for Us India Online market is much like Chinese online market 2 years ago with super high growth speed. Also online business helps Coolpad brand to quickly establish its user-base and brand reputation. In Southeast Asia, in Indonesia and Vietnam, we have been mainly focusing on offline and achieved great success. This year, we will also start exploring the offline market in India. Online itself will not satisfy us, we do not want to miss that big cake from offline. India has become the top priority for Coolpad outside China globally. HQ will invest heavily on resources and manpower. Particularly, for 2016, we are targeting 5 million pieces sale. It’s not a big number, but for us as a new brand, that’s enough to grow step by step. We will launch 6-8 products covering from budget to high end flagship. Some of these products will go to offline as well.
How will Coolpad compete with highend premium phones like Samsung and Apple? Samsung and Apple both have large product portfolios spanning across devices such as PC Computers, Laptops, Tablets, Smartphones, etc. Coolpad has all its energies focused on smartphone technology and on building an ecosystem around that. Also these brands have built customer goodwill and increased market share over a long period of time spending billions in Ads and marketing campaigns. Coolpad started with a mission of bringing innovative and affordable technology to the masses and eventually transitioned into the top 3 brands in China. Coolpad’s over 6000 patents in technology and R&D centers across the globe help it improve the industrial manufacturing capacity, including multi-products, multi-channel and complete product line coverage.
We attack when we are prepared; we seize when there is an opportunity
What is Coolpad’s after-sales strategy? Right now we have more than 240+ service centers. Together with call center and Coolpad forum, we help customers and win their brand loyalty. We are planning Coolpad Exclusive Service Centers also in India. We will start with four stores and at least one of them will be in Delhi. This year, we will try to establish 600 service centers with many of them being exclusive centers in various parts of India.
We have enough confidence to win in the competition for 2 reasons: first, our R&D resources, which brought us 6000+ patents include great innovations like dual SIM dual standby. Second, our global layout is strong, we have robust market presence in America, Europe and Southeast Asia. Also, recently, we signed a major distributor in Africa. With robust global demand, Coolpadis all set to be successful as a global brand.
Mobility May 2016
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special story
The Changing Dynamics of
Smartphone Market in India
Many providers are eyeing to make a mark in India, the second largest smartphone market. But at the same time, the Indian smartphone market is getting very competitive year after year. Hence, a lot of evaluation goes into launching a new product in the market. Established brands as well as new brands, all are vying for their share in the market pie.
I
n the recent times, we have seen many new smartphone brands entering the Indian market to cut a share in second largest smartphone market. Last year, we witnessed Chinese brands gaining higher market share and playing an increasingly important role in India and the global mobile phone market. Brands like Meizu, Coolpad, Phicomm, VIVO, OPPO, LeEcoZoppo, etc joined Lenovo, OnePlus, Huawei, Gionee and Xiaomi in the Indian market. They have not only strengthened their operations and increased sales in the indian market but managed to establish their brands. We talked to some major smartphone players in India to know their views about the current mobiles market and their strategies to gain edge in this competitive segment. Peter Chang, Regional Head - South Asia & Country Manager - ASUS India, states, “At ASUS, our primary aim is designing products that complement the consumers’ lifestyles while adhering to current technological innovations. While launching something new, our dedicated R&D team always tries that these factors reflect in our product portfolio. An example of this is our unique PixelMaster technology that we introduced into our smartphone range, which combines quality software to deliver professional grade images to the consumers looking for enhanced camera performance.” Allen Wang, President, Consumer Business Group, Mobility May 2016
Huawei India, comments, “We at Huawei put customers first and evaluate the needs & demands of Indian consumers and based on their feedback, we launch new products. Our aim is to become the most trusted smartphone manufacturer who provides customers with solutions and technology that meets their needs. Our other important focus area is the quality that we deliver. We try to give quality products and that is our key advantage while winning customer loyalty.” Sky Li, OPPO Global VP, MD of International Mobile Business and President of OPPO India, asserts, “Being a new player in the Indian market, the first thing on the top of our minds is our new products should satisfy the target audience. The technology infused in the product should reflect our ethos and ultimately give the consumers an end product that meets their demands. We have received an overwhelming feedback from the Indian market for our product quality as well as our after-sales-service. Our phones have been appreciated for their aesthetic design and innovative technology. We have always focused on giving excellent camera experience to our young consumers. The great camera experience and high built-in quality have enabled our brand to stand out in global markets and also in India, and this will continue to be one of our core advantages in the future as well. And this was also the philosophy behind the OPPO F1 Plus launch.”
special story
Pankaj Rana, Business Head, Mobility Division, Panasonic India, states, “User Experience is the key point in our mind while planning to launch a new product. In fact, to enhance the user experience and suit the varied tastes of the TG, we work hard to meet those features. User Interface plays a major role in improving the user experience and therefore we have phones available with 4 different types of UIs: Fithome UI, Icon UI, SAIL UI & Stock Android UI. Each of these UIs has its own USPs. Customer preference varies over price segments which we are trying to balance with our diverse range of UIs.” Jerome Chen, Deputy General Manager, VIVO India, “We at Vivo, we firmly believe that the success of an organization is directly proportional to the customer satisfaction the organization could offer. Therefore, we focus a great deal on consumer insights and our endeavor is to offer impeccable experience through ingenious technology for dynamic and fashionable urban mainstream groups. Today’s youth seeks discerning sound features and the music plays a vital role in the life of Indians. Vivo is the pioneer of Hi-Fi music smartphone. ‘Hi-Fi’ stands for high-fidelity which means high reproduction capabilities of sound and top-performance of the music equipment. ‘Smart’ stands for the intelligent way humans use technology, making manmachine interaction interesting and enjoying. And that is our main focus.” Kevin XU, CEO - Zopo Mobile, states, “Prior to launching a new product, the first thing that comes to our mind is why a user would buy the product. We at Zopo are constantly brain storming on the marketing of a new product, trying to find reasons for customer to buy a new phone. We try to identify the loopholes in the existing smartphone ecosystem, fulfill them and then present them i
Impact of changing smartphone consumer expectations and behavior on a brand’s strategy
Changing consumer tastes and behavior in the market often defines how the providers should design products. The changing consumer behaviour often leads the users to experiment with new brands. These changes have been happening much faster today than before. Peter Chang of ASUS clarifies, “The Indian smartphone market is quite diverse. In such a fluid ecosystem, consumers have a wide array of choices to reflect upon. New technology is always welcome and brands are quick to adapt to the same while tending to consumer needs. Ever since ASUS entered India, our consumers have demonstrated a perpetual acceptance towards our products. Consumers will be prepared to experiment if brands offer the technology that matches their expectations and needs.” Allen Wang of Huawei states, “Consumers in the emerging markets like India are today ready to shell out a portion of their income on a smartphone for better features and performance. In the past 2-3 years, Indian consumers have shown the urge to try out new products from different brands, especially in the sub-Rs 15,000 range. They are looking for superior quality products at good price range. Though India is a price-sensitive
market, consumers have become more and more aware and discerning and less willing to accept inferior products simply because they cost less. While they are willing to experiment with new brands, it’s the repeat customers that define the customer loyalty towards a brand. We are proud
Peter Chang, Regional Head - South Asia & Country Manager - ASUS India
“Ever since ASUS entered India, our consumers have demonstrated a perpetual acceptance towards our products. Consumers will be prepared to experiment, if brands offer the technology to match their expectations and needs.”
that our brand rating on sales platforms like Flipkart has been as high as 4.1 out of 5 and the number of repeat customers for our products is one of the best amongst online brands.” Sky Li from Oppo comments, “The innovative nature of the smartphone industry has been steadily gaining momentum in recent years. This has been mainly due to the changing demands and behaviors of the Indian consumers who are now looking for something beyond what’s being offered on the table. Technology savvy consumers are looking for innovative and power-packed devices thus creating a lot of opportunity for new brands. The way consumers choose and buy smartphones is continuously evolving and one needs to keep that in mind in order to appeal to the wider range. As a brand, we feel that our products have been accepted well because of the way we have played on the consumer trend of taking selfies. The current trend indicates that increasingly smartphones are seen as dualrole devices, where consumers are looking for offerings that are a confluence of a phone and a high tech camera, which is exactly what we offer.“ Panasonic’s Pankaj Rana adds, “Indian consumer is very price-sensitive and the emergence of online channel has been pivotal in exploiting this behavior but at the same time the consumer experience has degraded, as most of the brands are not able to match the consumer expectations in terms of performance, quality and after-sales-support. A recent report by Accenture Strategy states that 59% of consumers describe poor consumer experience as the key factor for switching brands. Panasonic brand is synonymous with top class quality, performance and after-sales-service. We have introduced a premium service setup of 70 ASCs & 6 L4s across major locations to provide consumers with quick and reliable solutions. Eventually, I believe there will be 3 or 4 global brands which will sustain the fight in the long run.” Jerome Chen of VIVO comments, “Consumer behavior continues to be a determining force in the fiercely Mobility May 2016
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special story competitive Indian market. New research shows that an average 18-32 year old now spends over three hours a day with his / her smartphone or phablet screen. Also, we see intense action at the entry level smartphones as consumers are able to enjoy premium features
Allen Wang, President, Consumer Business Group, Huawei India “We at Huawei put customers first and evaluate their needs & demands and based on the feedback, we launch the products. Our aim is to become the most trusted smartphone manufacturer which provides customers with solutions and technology to meet their needs.” at affordable prices. The fact that there are close to 100 smartphone brands operating in the Indian market shows that consumers are looking for exclusive features in the phone at affordable prices. Our legacy along with our market understanding has made our presence felt in Indian smartphone market, where unbeatable product quality and robust business model will be our differentiating factors.” Kevin XU of Zopo clarifies, “Yes, we firmly believe that the current smartphone landscape has immense potential owing to the evolving consumer behavior. Unlike the early mobile phone buyers, who were simply brand loyalists, the buying behavior of consumers today is driven by technology, features, aesthetics and pricing. Furthermore, being spoilt for choice, the consumers today upgrade or replace their mobile devices at short and regular intervals, which increase the demand for such products in the market. They are not apprehensive of experimenting with new brands; as such products offer great features and good looks with competitive pricing.”
A brand’s right channel strategy as a part of an effective marketing plan to play key role
Channel strategy plays a big role in a brand’s success in the Indian market. Some brands launch exclusively online, whereas some others launch exclusively offline. And there are others who launch the same model online and offline. Then there are still other providers who launch certain models online and they reserve other models for offline channel. Most partners express the view that online channel and offline channel, each has its own importance and significance. Peter Chang of ASUS opines, “Offline and online channels, both are equally important for us. We have consistently used the online strategy to build our presence in the market. In addition to this, we also introduced the availability of our products in offline retail stores and ASUS Exclusive Stores to cater to those
Mobility May 2016
consumers who prefer the brick and mortar medium. We started with 100 stores in 2015, and have plans to expand to over 30,000 stores (AES, LFR and MBOs) by the end of 2016.” Allen Wang of Huawei believes, “E-commerce as a retail platform has seen a phenomenal growth in recent years. It has emerged as a viable retail channel in many regions of India where traditional brick and mortar stores still occupy a large chunk of business. The reason in a single word is: price. A core benefit is instantly visible in many products being offered online: the difference between the price offered by a traditional retailer and an ecommerce site. We started selling products in India via Flipkart.com and received phenomenal response from Indian consumers. We also launched our own online platform Honor Store this March. Now we are actively operating in the offline sector and hope to receive the same response.” Sky Li from OPPO asserts, “We are currently focusing on the offline market which has been doing very well for us. It has been helping us in offering the best services to our local customers. This year, OPPO is targeting 35,000 sales outlets in India in 2016.” Pankaj Rana of Panasonic comments, “We will continue to do a mix of offline and online sales though offline channel will be the focus area for us. As we are not an only-online brand like some brands; we would like to leverage the strong brand presence of Panasonic in offline channel. However, we cannot ignore the growth of online channel and are expecting that online sales will contribute to 20% of our revenues in the current financial year.” Jerome Chen of VIVO states, “Vivo presently sells phones only through the retail stores as we wish to connect with our consumers better by providing them the actual look and feel of the product before making their purchase decision. And following our belief, we have invested significantly in our retail network and branding at stores across India. Indian market is highly conducive and India and China share a great deal in terms of complication of the market, population and fast transformation to smartphones, etc so we believe that our success in China can be used here to better serve Indian consumer. Vivo has a robust distribution network in 400 cities,
Sky Li, OPPO Global VP, MD of International Mobile Business and President of OPPO India
“As a brand, we feel that our products have been accepted well because of the way we have played on the consumer trend of taking selfies. The current trend indicates that increasingly smartphones are seen as dual-role devices, where consumers are looking for offerings that are a confluence of a phone and a high tech camera, which is exactly what we offer.”
special story
across 28 states and is working with 10,000 retail partners across the Indian geographies.” Kevin XU of Zopo believes, “Channel partners play a significant role in generating revenue for the company. Although online trading is the widest and one of the most lucrative platforms today, the offline channel partners thrive on the trust of their customers and give a human touch to the entire sales process, which a lot of consumers still yearn for. Having said that, we believe both online and offline sales effort should go hand in hand in order to achieve an all-inclusive success.”
Brands are shifting their market focus from Tier-1 to Tier-2 & Tier-3 cities
Markets in metros in India are getting saturated and the competition has become intense. This has made the Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities the most attractive markets. Here too the first entrants and those who offer better features and service are going to be the winners. And customers in these cities also know well what they need and at what price. ASUS’ Peter Chang opines, “Both Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities offer ample opportunities in India as these are the cities which will drive the next phase of growth. Recently in Guwahati, in a strategic move to reiterate our com-
Pankaj Rana, Business Head, Mobility Division, Panasonic India
“We have set up our factory in Noida and all our new launches are 100% Made in India. With the current government’s impetus on exports, we are sure our overseas expansion plans are in tune with that.”
mitment to the North Eastern market, we announced the availability of our range of products including smartphones, notebooks, and desktops to the region. In the future, we are looking at strengthening our presence in more Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities across the country.” Allen Wang of Huawei comments, “Tier-2 and Tier3 cities are of great importance to us because of their rapid development and we will do what it takes to maximize penetration in these markets.” Pankaj Rana from Panasonic defines, “Definitely! The action is shifting to Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities; they already constitute around 20% of the smartphone market and with the increase in data usage, demand for smartphones is going to increase further in these cities. Currently, 3G devices rule these markets but with the increase in 4G penetration the demand for the 4G devices is bound to increase and we have a very strong lineup of 4G devices already in place to cater to these needs.”
Sky Li from Oppo asserts, “We are targeting a wider audience and thus have been continuously focusing on the Tier-2 and Tier-3 markets. Our endeavor is to provide the best service & quality to our customers.” Jerome Chen of VIVO adds, “India is an impor-
Jerome Chen, Deputy General Manager,
VIVO India,
VIVO is the first Chinese smartphone manufacturer in India to set up a manufacturing unit (in Noida) in line with PM Modi’s globally lauded ‘Make in India’ initiative. The unit caters to the manufacturing and assembling of VIVO’s smartphones thereby creating more employment opportunities. The manufacturing facility currently has a capacity to produce 1 million units per month.”
tant international market and it is of special significance to Vivo’s global strategy. Our strategy has been uniform from the first day and we have worked aggressively to develop a sound physical retail distribution network with a special focus on Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. Presently, Vivo has its own strong distribution system in 400 centers, across 28 states. Our service centers have increased to 300 in 2016 from 250 in 2015. We have many dealers in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities and plan to open more company-owned service centers to ensure hassle-free service to our valued customers.” According to Kevin XU of Zopo, “At Zopo, we have an array of affordable products that are best suited for the tier 2 and tier 3 markets in India and we will continue to cater to them. At the same time, we offer product differentiation and strategies that will adhere to the urban market wherever required. Hence, our primary focus is the Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities as of now.”
How different brands foresee future trends and their impact on their strategies
Different brands foresee different trends in the coming years that are going to drive the smartphones markets in the coming years. Below are the opinions of different brands. Peter Chang of ASUS expresses, “As a brand, we work fervently towards introducing products that are contemporary, advanced and are a reflection of the evolving trends. We expect developments and advancements in technology, design, camera, hardware/software specifications etc.; technology is simply getting more advanced at every level and will continue to do so. The future holds great promise for the smartphone industry in India.” Allen Wang from Huawei comments, “Today, a user can do a thousand things with his smartphone. It’s expected that smartphone usage will reach 2 billion by Mobility May 2016
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special story
2017 in India making it the most popular device for accessing the Internet. We believe that fingerprint sensors, breakthroughs in camera technology and sleek looking smartphones would define the future technology. Meanwhile, the commitment for environment-friendly usage will also be considered.” Ski Li of OPPO opines, “Technology has always been evolving and being a brand that continuously innovates to give the consumers the best experience, we believe that in the coming years, the camera technology will be the defining factor for the consumers to make choice. OPPO has been investing a lot to ensure that we give consumers an unforgettable camera experience. Through our careful designing of both software and hardware, we are constantly working to ensure that every photo taken with an OPPO phone is clear, colorful and bright, to give users’ photos that record their lives, and to surprise them with how much a great smartphone camera is capable of.” Pankaj Rana from Panasonic states, “In the near future, it will be biometric sensors and higher RAM & internal memory storage. In the coming years, focus will be on Virtual Reality front and on how we can converge 3DTV/projector-like experience on a smartphone and also on the experience with smartphone camera and how it will match with the professional camera’s experience.” Jerome Chen of VIVO asserts, “With smartphone getting smarter every passing day, we will see blistering technological advancements in the years to come that will drive this segment. There will be a lot of action in
Kevin XU, CEO - Zopo Mobile “Although online trading is the widest and one of the most lucrative platforms today, the offline channel partners thrive on the trust of their customers and give a human touch to the entire sales process, which a lot of consumers still yearn for. Having said that, we believe both online and offline sales effort should go hand in hand in order to achieve an all-inclusive success.”
4G as the operators continue to expand coverage. And by 2018, 18 crore smartphones are expected to be in the Indian market. Smartphone processors will become as powerful as the laptop processors. Moreover, selfie being the trend, we foresee wondrous advancements in cameras in entry level smartphones as the competition there is stormy. Virtual Reality can be another trend that will captivate the customers substantially and it will be the harbinger of a whole new revolution.” In this regard, Kevin XU of Zopo says, “As discussed earlier, consumers today make purchasing decisions based on features, aesthetics and pricing. However,
Mobility May 2016
the battery life of these smart phones is a major concern amongst others. Having said that, I believe longer battery life, flexible screen technology and intelligent peripheral applications will change the pattern of the market and players that manage to satiate these requirements will seize more market share.”
Brands want to reap the benefits of following Make in India initiative
Today, many brands have joined and some are in the process of the joining the bandwagon of ‘Make in India’ to gain the cost-benefits and improve their competitive edge. In this regard, different brands express their views as follows. Peter Chang of ASUS clarifies, “India remains a very important market for us and will continue to be so. In October 2015, we reiterated this commitment by announcing our role in ‘Make in India.’ In a strategic move to expand our presence, we announced our plans to start the local manufacturing of smartphones in Sri City, Andhra Pradesh, partnering with Foxconn. Thus, we are looking at building our presence and operational capacity to maintain a continual momentum and growth in this space.” Allen Wang of Huawei adds, “Being the world’s second-biggest smartphone market, India is a strategic and a critical market for us. We are confident on the potential of the India’s smartphone market and will be increasing our investments and product range going forward. We are evaluating aspects related to local manufacturing and are getting excellent updates. We already have an R&D set-up in India which understands what the Indian consumers want and are strengthening our localization strategy through them.” Pankaj Rana from Panasonic states, “We have set up our factory in Noida and all our new launches are 100% Made in India. With the current government’s impetus on exports, we are sure our overseas expansion plans are in tune with that impetus.” OPPO’s Sky Li comments, “We have plans to set up a local manufacturing unit in Noida and we are sure that the cost-advantage we gain from that will be helpful in driving our brand ahead further.” Jerome Chen of VIVO believes, “VIVO is the first Chinese smartphone manufacturer in India to set up a manufacturing unit in line with PM Modi’s globally lauded ‘Make in India’ initiative. VIVO Mobile India invested close to Rs. 125 crore in its first phase of investment in the 30,000 sq. m facility situated in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh. The unit caters to the manufacturing and assembling of VIVO’s smartphones thereby creating more employment opportunities and reducing VIVO’s dependence on imports. The manufacturing facility has a capacity to produce 1 million units per month.” Kevin XU of Zopo confirms, “Bringing in goods through SKD is a convenient option. This way, we can reduce the overall cost which further helps in bringing affordable products to India. This is the currently prevailing trend and we will continue to follow the same.”
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review
iBall Slide Snap 4G2 Loaded with 2GB RAM and Lightning 4G
i
Ball, a brand known for its innovative and latest technology products, packs another punch to its very popular Android-based range of Terrific Performance: iBall Slide Snap 4G2.The state-of-the-art entrant, iBall Slide Snap 4G2 aptitudes to astound its users with the super slim look, brushed with a metallic rim gilt and lightning 4G performance, keeping multi-tasking at its core with 2GB RAM!
Features: Coupled with ease, is the Y-Cable which lets you charge your Device and connect to USB-enabled device simultaneously. Running on the impressive Quad Core Processor and 2GB RAM, managing tasks gets faster with an amazing speed. Not just managing but also storing your data gets easier with 16GB built-in storage, which can further be extended upto 32GB via Micro SD Card.With pre-loaded Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint stub Apps, it ensures work on-the-go and lets users stay connected all the time. Keeping the entertainment at its core the device comes packed with SanjeevKapoor recipes, 360 Security Lite and several pre-loaded GameLoft Games such as All Star Cricket Free, Asphalt Nitro, Bubble Bash 3, Motocross: Trial Extreme and Spider-Man: Ultimate Power. Performance: Immersing into the fourth generation of telecommunication is the superfast 4G Speed. Play games online or stream Video or tune into Internet Radio and much more with 4G Connectivity. Not only it is fast and powerful when playing games and multitasking but it is also slick and speedy for web browsing, streaming and downloading, even when away from a Wi-Fi connection. With iBall Slide Snap 4G2, snap all that you love with 5MP AF Back Camera & 2MP Front Camera both with LED Flash. Enhancing your memories is the plethora of unique features namely setting timer, clicking continuous shot, etc. that brings every still snap alive making it interesting and fun!iBall Slide Snap 4G2 is enabled with Dual SIM Slots having both 3G and 4G supports, a built-in ear piece receiver and call recording function. You can chit chat in any of the loaded 21 regional languages and also operate the Tablet in 9 different system languages available.
Look and Feel: Augmenting the user proficiency is its 7 inch IPS HD Display which gives an immersive viewing experience, further balanced with the vibrant colours at 1024*600 resolution, bringing visuals to life amongst fullcapacitive touch. iBall Slide Snap 4G2 draws on the style of every individual user with its aerodynamic body & sleek frame of 10.11mm thickness which makes the design absolutely unparalleled. Its Biscuit Gold back cover not only looks appealing but also truly distinctive. Mobility May 2016
Finally: Share the world of communication with other devices through Wi-Fi Hotspot, Bluetooth and USB Tethering. The GPS and A-GPS lets users track down exact locations and lastly the USB OTG function enables users to transfer data to and fro with comfort. Manage unlimited connections, as you don’t fall short of charge with the massive 3500mAh Battery life. It also supports Music playback, HD Video Playback and FM Radio with Recording. Price: Rs 7499.00
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review
Canon EOS-1D X Mark II Redefines Professional Still and 4K Video Imaging
C
anon has launched the EOS-1D X Mark II, Canon’s new flagship professional EOS DSLR model and long-awaited successor to the EOS-1D X. The EOS1D X Mark II brings together the latest developments in imaging technology and innovations in the EOS line to present a next-generation pro DSLR model, empowering users to push their boundaries in capturing the best shots. Professional photographers and video enthusiasts will delight in their ability to achieve stunning image quality with the EOS-1D X MARK II even in high-speed precision shooting scenarios typical to journalism, sports, and wildlife photography. With 14.0 fps & 4K video recording at up to 60fps, sports, fast action, wildlife photographers, as well as videographers, will find the EOS-1D X Mark II to be a revolutionary step up. Built for quality high-speed photography A split second can mean a lot to professional photographers, especially those in the sports,
or faster, autofocusing is possible even when using teleconverters on super telephoto lenses, equipment common in wildlife and sports photography. With a CFast 2.0 card slot for high-speed writing, the EOS-1D X Mark II can capture up to 170 RAW images and an unlimited number of JPEG images in continuous shooting mode. 4K image quality for EOS Movie In 2012, the EOS-1D C was the first EOS DSLR to incorporate 4K movie recording. With the EOS-1D X Mark II, users are now able to utilize 4K motion JPEG at 60/50p, resulting in amazingly smooth footages. The EOS-1D X Mark II’s Full HD recording feature comes with a new High Frame Rate mode that allows recording at 120/100, enabling slow motion video recording. The inclusion of a CFast slot caters to these high data-rate shooting modes.
Finally
Every part of the EOS-1D X Mark II from its mirror to shutter mechanisms is built for endurance and durability, giving the DSLR a shutter life expectancy of 400,000 cycles. The EOS-1D X Mark II is encased in a robust magnesium Specifications alloy body and designed to be • Dimensions: Approx. 158 x dust and drip-proof for enhanced 167.6 x 82.6m protection against the elements, • Weight: Approx. 1340g essential for reliability in the (body only) professional photographer’s • Image sensor: 20.2 megapixel 35mm Full Frame varied line of work especially when CMOS sensor working at outdoor shoots. with Dual Pixel CMOS AF In terms of design and ergonomics, • Imaging processor: Dual the grip and button operations DIGIC 6+ • Maximum video quality: 4K were improved for greater comfort 60p (max. 30 mins) and operability for photographers • ISO speed: 100-51,200 of varying hand sizes. The control (expandable to 409,600) configuration on the EOS-1D X • Continuous shooting speed: 16 fps (Live View), 14 fps Mark II also makes the horizontal (Viewfinder) and vertical layouts more similar, • GPS: Yes so shooting landscape or portrait • LCD: Wide 3.2-inch (1.62 will have a similar feel. million dots) • Memory slot: CF + The EOS-1D X Mark II uses the CFast 2.0 K390 battery, which has a 10% increase in capacity compared journalism, and wildlife to the LP-E4N used in the EOS-1D X, fields. With its new 61-point all points selectable AF providing photographers longer usage while in the system with 41-points cross type AF, photographers field. benefit from an expanded AF area (approximately 24 percent vertically) compared to the EOS-1D X. With The EOS-1D X Mark II is priced at INR 455,995/- for the all 61-points compatible to effective aperture of f/8 body.
Mobility May 2016
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nEW eNTRANT
After China and Africa, itel enters India with significant investment plans In an interaction with Sudhir Kumar who joined Transsion Holding as CEO and would be spearheading the Indian operations share his company’s future plans for India.
A
part of the larger Transsion Holdings conglomerate, one of the world’s major mobile phone manufacturers and a leading supplier of communication devices with presence in 30+ countries across the globe, itel Mobile offers connectivity solutions for the lower-end of the consumer spectrum. Launched in 2007 with an aim of empowering people to stay connected through economical products, the company focuses on enabling mobile communication device ownership for consumers the world over. itel now aims to translate its global success to tap the hitherto unexplored market in India through its vast array of products such as feature phones, smartphones, tablets and mobile accessories. Focusing chiefly on the lucrative Indian rural market, the brand will deliver value-driven offerings for the Indian consumer in order to quench the demand for pocket-friendly mobile devices.
itel’s roadmap:
itel has been introduced to empower people to stay connected through its high-performance, quality-assured mobility solutions at a very competitive price that suits the accounts of mass India. On the back of its pedigree, its proven track record and its relevance, the brand has seen widespread acceptance in the markets of China and Africa. Today, it has a prominent presence in more than 37 international markets. Over 70 million phones have been sold since its inception, and itel remains on course to enable a truly ubiquitous mobilebased digital ecosystem for all social segments. This success is what we are looking to replicate in India, which is one of the world’s fastest growing digital economies. Our vision is to make mobile ownership more accessible and ‘within your means’ for the hitherto untapped rural, semi-urban and tier-2/tier- 3 city-based consumers. We wish to provide them with the tools to fulfill their aspirations to stay connected with their social circles. Our product line up will be the unique differentiator. It will be categorized
Mobility May 2016
in three series, Selfie PRO; Power PRO and multi feature series i.e Wish series. We are also aiming to become a 4G-LTE connectivity popularize in India through our vast array of mobile connectivity solutions such as feature phones, smartphones, tablets and mobile accessories. At itel, we believe in delivering superior quality products that help the mass consumers to progress by satisfying their aspirations. This unique integration of quality with value plus is what has driven our success so far, and is also what acts as our USP. Our prime focus is on offering a high quality camera and excellent battery back-up. We want to elevate the benchmark in each product category.
Our key USPs:
We have service touch points set up in place much before the launch. With our focus on service assurance, we are entering the market with a commitment of a 100 day replacement warranty in inclusion to a standard 12 months repair warranty. This is a major step which no other mobile brands in India provide. We are focused
on providing two key elements in our products, i.e. better camera performance and long lasting battery life.
investment plans
India, being one of the only three big billion markets apart from China and Africa, figures very highly on our list of priorities. As such, we have significant investment plans in place for the country. In order to keep our mobile connectivity solutions affordable and easily accessible for the Indian consumer, we are planning to set up manufacturing units at strategic locations within India. Not only will this help us in establishing the foundation for a robust supply chain, but will also contribute to the Government of India’s ambitious ‘Make in India’ campaign. ITEL also has several strategic partnerships in place with leading brands in the field of mobile devices and communication such as Airtel, Vodafone, Sharp, Sony, Intel, Samsung, Java and Facebook in Africa and other markets and we want to leverage the association in India as well. These measures, in confluence with our focus on integrating quality with affordability, will serve to differentiate our brand in the Indian market. We are positioning our products so as to be able to build their own segmentation as 90% of our mobile models have clear differentiation and stand out from the crowd. In mobiles, where our competition uses 1800 mAh, we have benchmarked our products at 2500mAh in the same price category. Our R&D team has come up with unique innovations that provide solutions to one of the biggest pain points of mobile users, i.e. camera quality. So we can clearly say that we are a value plus product company and as time goes by, our product will be able to create its own segment with less or no competition.
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make in india
Micromax strengthens its ‘Make in India’ commitment: Inaugurates its manufacturing plant in Telangana T
aking ahead Government of India’s ‘Make in India’ campaign, Micromax, India’s leading handset manufacturer, inaugurated its newest manufacturing facility in Telangana. The plant was inaugurated by Sri K T Rama Rao, Hon’ble Minister for IT and Sri P Mahendra Reddy, Hon’ble Minister for Transport in the presence of other senior State dignitaries. The Telangana manufacturing facility has been made operational from scratch in flat six months and will have the capacity to manufacture one million Mobile Phone devices per month. The facility currently employs 700 people and will increase the number to 1000 employees in the next two months, boosting employment opportunities in the State. Bhagwati Products Ltd sets up its second manufacturing plant in India, spread across 19 acres for production of mobile handsets, LED TVs, LED Lights etc. for Micromax Brand. The initial investment is of Rs 100 crores. And it has a capacity to manufacture 1 million devices per month. This investment will provide direct employment to 2,000 people and indirect employment to more than 2,000 people. Sri K T Rama Rao, Minister for IT, Panchayat Raj and Municipal Administration & Urban Development, Telangana, said, “Telangana Government strongly believes in the vision of ‘Make in India’ and has
always encouraged corporates to establish their factories and R&D centres in the state. We are very happy that Micromax who has been a front runner in demonstrating technological prowess by bringing future disruptions at affordable price points and has chosen Telangana as the destination for setting up its manufacturing facility. We believe this partnership Mobility May 2016
will provide new opportunities to youth of the state and develop an electronics manufacturing ecosystem of global standards in Telangana.” The minister added that the government has always encouraged corporates to establish their units in the state. The government has enacted TS ISPASS act which has been appreciated by the industry. A total of 1691 units have been sanctioned with an investment of Rs 20,347 crores creating 36691 jobs. Of these, about 840 units have already commissioned production. The fact that more than 50% of the approvals have already commissioned production in less than a year speaks about the ease of doing business. Elaborating the salient features of the ease of doing business under the TS ISPASS, the minister said that all the line department portals have been integrated with TSSIPASS under a single portal. The registration, renewal and inspection module is being done online. It tool least possible turnaround time for consent of establishment and consent for operation anywhere in the country. Single helpline number (7306600600) has been introduced. Reduction in number of mandatory documents by combining common features across departments has been introduced in the act, the minister added. Referring to the labour and factories reforms, the minister said inspection schedules have been computerized and the inspection report to be uploaded by the inspecting officer within 48 hours. Joint inspections will be carried under 10 acts which is a major relief to industries. Licenses for factories can be renewed in one go with a validity up to 10 years which is a major relief to units. Voluntary self certification scheme has been introduced in the act, the minister added. The minister also spoke about the reforms relating to fire, registration, commercial tax and pollution control board departments which include stamp duty payment for property registrations have been made online and through eSTAMP; a single Tax ID for filing of returns for all the taxes, registrations can be done online and returns can be filed online through e-payment; exemptions to green industries from any
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by assembling the products locally and quickly ramping up and building capacity of complete manufacturing in close partnership with the Government. We are grateful for the support of government of Telangana for providing a slew of incentives, provisioning of all approvals and compliances in a time-bound manner and providing necessary infrastructure and conducive
Looking to the employment potential, investment and other benefits, Government of Telangana is encouraging the investments in ESDM i.e. manufacturing Mobile Phones, LED TVs, and other electronic products in the State of Telangana. inspections and renewal periods increased from 1 year to 5 years through auto renewal mode. Third party certification introduced for medium risk industries and self-certification for low risk industries. The minister thanked Micromax who has been a frontrunner in demonstrating technological prowess and has chosen Telangana as the destination for setting up its manufacturing facility. He said this partnership will provide new opportunities to the youth of the state and to develop electronics manufacturing ecosystem of global standards in Telangana. Sri P Mahendra Reddy, Minister of Transport, Telangana, mentioned that, “In a very short span of time since its formation, Telangana has emerged as one of the fastest growing states with immense focus by the Government on public-private partnership for the growth and prosperity of the state. With inception of Micromax plant, the company will focus on integrating product design capabilities with efficient manufacturing processes which will help in economic development of the state.” Telangana has the advantage of having good connectivity with rest of the country and major global hubs. Government of Telangana is also focused to provide trained manpower to various sectors including electronic sector through the newly constituted Telangana Academy for Skill and Knowledge (TASK). A large number of ITI, diploma and degree institutes are already functional in the state which provide requisite manpower to the sector. Commenting on inauguration, Rajesh Agarwal, CoFounder, Micromax, said, “By 2017, we aim to be India’s first and largest indigenous phone manufacturer. We have been the frontrunners for the ‘Make in India’ initiative
ecosystem for conduct of business. It is primarily due to the industry-friendly approach and forward-thinking policies of Government of Telangana that we could set up the plant here in a record time of six months. The latest plant at Hyderabad promises not just stateof-the-art manufacturing unit of high-tech products but will also bring in the much needed employment and economic growth to the region creating thousands of jobs for the local citizens. The company has already invested over 100 crores in the project in the first phase. The ESDM sector is receiving highest attention by Government of India and Government of Telangana is also supporting this effort by manufacturing this import substitution product thereby reducing outflow of forex from the Country. The Bhagwati Products Limited has been promoted by Sh. Rajesh Agarwal and his associates. The company has its first plant in Uttrakhand for manufacturing Mobile phones, Tablets, LED TVs, Dongle, and their spares and accessories as OEM supply to Micromax Informatics Ltd with the capacity to produce 16 lakh Mobile Phones, 1 Lakh LED TV, 1 Lakh Tablets, and 4 Lakh Dongles per month. The Company has already gone for backward integration for manufacturing LED TV panel. The Hyderabad plant is the second unit of Bhagwati Products Limited and has the capacity of producing one million smart phones a month in the first phase. It also has a provision for expansion and a provision to manufacture LED TV and other electronic equipment in the future. The Company also has its own R&D facilities at its plant at Rudrapur and intend to strengthen it further by setting up a R&D center at Hyderabad. The Company also has in-house training centres at both locations to keep its employees updated in technology. Mobility May 2016
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APPS
List of Windows apps that will transform your Windows Smartphone into your own Personal…. Audiobooks from Audible
Alexandra Reader
With over 200,000 professionallynarrated audiobooks and periodicals, Audiobook from Audible lets you get insider information about author events and more with the Audible Newsfeed. It also allows you to control your listening experience with Cortana voice commands and button-free
Alexandra Reader is an e-book reader app, where you can browse amongst books, and share your favorites. The font type and size can be set personally, and there are personal color schemes to choose from. NOOK
FB Reader has a built-in local library that organizes the books by author, tag, series, etc. You can easily search books, browse and edit book info. The app also gives you access to popular online libraries like FeedBooks.
NOOK is one of the world’s largest booksellers app, where users can read anything they love, anytime. It customizes reading experience to view books with different fonts, line spacing and themes, turn pages with the flick of a finger or jump to any page. The NOOK app also syncs the last page you’ve read across your tablet and PC.
TechBooks
OverDrive
TechBooks app is for those planning a software career or wish to enhance their technical skill sets and improve career opportunities. The app provides an easy access- online and offline- to technical MSDN & Patterns and Practices e-books.
OverDrive provides access to about 16,000 libraries and 10,000 school libraries. In addition to e-books, the service also lets you borrow audiobooks and streaming video. It also allows you to sync your books across multiple devices.
FB Reader
Mobility May 2016
Date of Pub: 10th May, 2016 | Postal Dt.: 16th & 17th of same Month/ Posted at NDPSO
R.N.I. No. DELENG/2004/14198
Postal Reg. No.: DL(S)-01/3442/2016-18