Convergence Plus Journal

Technology

NETGEAR enhances App experience for Apple iOS and Android Devices
June 8

NETGEAR(R), Inc., a global networking company that delivers innovative products to consumers, businesses and service providers, announced three new enhancements to the ReadyNAS(R) Ultra family of high-performance storage systems. First, new mobile apps connect smartphones and tablets to ReadyNAS Ultra systems. Second, new firmware increases performance by as much as 50%. Third, new pricing brings affordable Intel-powered platforms to home users for the first time. The ReadyNAS Ultra family now supports mobile apps for Apple iOS and Android devices, is more than 50% faster and costs as much as US$250 less.

Two new ReadyNAS Remote mobile apps seamlessly extend stored digital content to Apple iOS and Android mobile devices. This "private cloud" enables easy connections from mobile platforms to personal music, movies, photos and files stored at home. ReadyNAS users may download, upload, view and edit their content securely from across town or across the globe.

The new RAIDiator firmware version 4.2.17 increases high-definition (HD) video playback and transfer speeds by more than 50 percent in Intel(R) NAS Performance Toolkit testing. In addition, support for the latest 3-terabyte hard drives delivers the highest possible storage capacity. Prices have now been lowered across the product line, shattering traditional price/performance barriers. Power users can bring Intel Atom-powered storage systems into home networks at the lowest cost ever.

The new pricing for NETGEAR ReadyNAS Ultra and ReadyNAS Ultra Plus systems will be effective immediately and would be available through the authorized distributors of NETGEAR.

The State of Mizoram selects Prithvi for its State Data Center (SDC) Project
June 8

Prithvi Information Solutions, the Hyderabad based Information and Communication Technology Company has bagged the Mizoram State Data Center. Prithvi won this INR 12.5 crore project by competing with the players like Reliance, HCL, TCS and Sify.

The state-of-art project is primarily for the Design, Site preparation, Supply, Installation, Commissioning, Maintenance and Operations of the State Data Center at Aizawl, Mizoram. The initial Build phase of this SDC is expected to be completed in six months time, followed by 5 years of Facility Management Services for the Data Center.

Earlier Prithvi had bagged SDCs from State Governments of Haryana, Nagaland and a Data Center project from MAHAGENCO (Maharastra Generation Company), Mumbai. Mizoram SDC will help to consolidate and strengthen the System Integration business of Prithvi.

Alcatel-Lucent & Percept Knorigin to bring Digital Entertainment to millions in India
June 1

Percept Knorigin (PK), a digital media company incubated by Percept Limited, and Alcatel Lucent has signed a collaboration agreement to expand the distribution of digital entertainment content to subscribers across India. PK will use Alcatel-Lucent’s Digital Media Store (DMS) to enhance its web and mobile entertainment service, which is offered to consumers through partnerships with telecom service providers such as BSNL, MTNL and Airtel.

With more than 1.2 billion people, India provides an enormous potential audience for PK’s entertainment content - everything from Hindi Movies to Regional language spectacles and Live TV on mobile. PK’s services like Adchakra, Cinecurry, HelloTV and 51010 dial-a-video has experienced rapid growth – nearly 300 percent last year, and to meet this increased demand they needed a robust digital media platform that could meet the demanding requirements of Mobile and Web service providers.

Alcatel-Lucent’s Digital Media Store simplifies the distribution of applications and multimedia content across any network to any connected device – PC, Mobile Phone or TV. With DMS, PK now has a cost-effective and secure solution that is easy to expand, and gives service providers the flexibility to offer video, audio and games to their subscribers – over wireless or wireline networks, easily and profitably.

As importantly, DMS will enable the service providers offering PK services to establish customized and personalized storefronts and portals, supported by merchandizing tools that include the ability to cross-recommend and cross-sell content based on subscriber interests and buying behaviour. While DMS will provide both PK and service providers increased earning potential, it will also aid bottom lines by reducing content pilfering through the use of a digital-rights-management mechanisms.

MACH brings In-App Direct Operator Billing to German Mobile Apps Market
June 6

MACH, the leading provider of hub-based mobile communication solutions, has announced that its Direct Billing Gateway has been launched across the four main German mobile networks, enabling direct operator billing for more than 80 million mobile subscribers across the country. In a first for Germany, the Direct Billing Gateway will also enable in-app payments, opening a brand new revenue stream for app stores and content providers, while delivering dynamic app pricing and innovative business models.

MACH’s direct operator billing service will benefit German mobile subscribers by providing them with the option of buying apps and, for the first time, in-app goods and services through a simple 1-click process, placing the fee for the application on the user’s phone bill. As well as improving the end user experience, direct operator billing will benefit app developers in Germany through the effective monetisation of mobile content, while in-app billing will facilitate new business models for developers based on the sale of virtual goods and services from within the app itself.

The launch allows app stores and content providers to instantly deliver direct operator billing and in-app billing without the need to set up individual agreements with the main German operators. This saves considerable time and OPEX while allowing application providers and merchants to focus on their core business of enabling an open apps environment across Germany.

The Direct Billing Gateway removes the need for cumbersome Premium Messaging or re-direction to WAP payment pages and through its simple 1-click billing process, increases the likelihood of customers continuing through to purchase. Moreover, it allows users to buy apps regardless of whether they have a credit card or are on a pre- or post-paid contract, vastly increasing the potential market for apps purchases and further helping to drive revenue growth for customers and operators alike. The ability to bill without recourse to a credit card also offers subscribers a much more secure channel through which to pay for apps and in-app goods, providing consumers with the peace of mind that they are not compromising sensitive information while making their purchases.

CanvasM launches unique VAS solution ‘Saral Rozgar’
June 3

Canvas M Technologies, Tech Mahindra’s VAS subsidiary and part of the US$ 11.1 billion Mahindra Group, focused on developing and deploying utility VAS solutions, applications and platforms for organizations globally today announced the launch of its unique service “Saral Rozgar”.

“Saral”, as the name suggests, is a bouquet of easy-to-use utility services, accessible through reachable mediums such as Voice. The idea behind the “saral” set of services is to take advantage of the huge penetration of mobile services across the population and provide internet like services to the section which doesn’t have means or literacy to access internet for their advantage. This service provides user friendly options like search, discovery and a virtual market place more accessible to the bottom of the pyramid.

The first product from this bouquet, “Saral Rozgar” (www.saralrozgar.com), is a distinguished mobile VAS solution from CanvasM targeted at providing utility based service to bottom of the pyramid, the blue-collared job segment. Using this service, blue collared job hunters will be able to create resumes and apply for jobs through their mobile handsets over a simple voice call and the potential job providers will have access to this database enabling them to reach out to the job seekers directly through automated channels such as SMS (short messaging service) or a voice call.

Saral Rozgar won an award for "Excellence in Innovation with Rural Telecom Focus” at the 5th National Telecom Awards 2011 held on the occasion of World Telecom Day on May 17, 2011 at Siri Fort Auditorium, New Delhi.

There are more than one hundred categories of job seekers available under this service, which can enjoy the benefits of low cost service; location based opportunity matching; direct interface with job providers through the medium that they prefer.

According to Dr. Leena Gupta, Secretary, Rashtriya Rozgar Mission, “Our collaboration with CanvasM and launch of the ‘Saral Rozgar” will provide a huge opportunity for the blue collared workforce in the country and an unique platform for the job-providers to explore the cost efficient and time saving service”.

S Tel launches the never before “SELF RECHARGE” concept
June 2

S Tel announced the launch of latest Ghar Baithe Mann Chahe plan chune concept- ‘Self Recharge’ for its subscribers. S Tel customers can now choose a plan of their choice to match their budget everyday through a simple product activation code and recharge by themselves anywhere. Subscribers will now be able enjoy a plethora of S Tel products at lower denominations with validity of 1 day.

This consumer friendly concept will bring power in user’s hand and ease of recharge option. The subscriber can simply type *123*<Recharge Amount># to avail product benefit. The Recharge amount would be deducted from core balance and the product benefit would be activated. Customers can log on to www.stel.in for more details.

In the past, S Tel pioneered with TTFT (Talk today Free Tomorrow), Bonus Plus and similar concepts. With this innovative introduction of ‘Self Recharge’ S Tel sets another example of its customer-centric philosophy, aimed to simplify lives of its subscribers.

For mobile subscribers, especially the youth segment, S Tel has further enhanced its WAP and GPRS services across its markets at special price points. S Tel now offers a bouquet of exciting data services customized to each region which includes services like “Hum Tum” Voice chat and high speed GPRS services.

Comviva to Power Orange Jordan’s Colour Ring Back Tone Services
June 1

Comviva, the global leader in providing mobile solutions beyond VAS, today announced that it has partnered with Orange Jordan, the sole integrated telecom operator licensed to provide 3G+ services in the Kingdom to offer Color Ring Back Tone (CRBT) services. With this new service Orange subscribers can reflect their personality and emotions by playing different ring back tones for different callers. With Comviva’s CRBT service, subscribers can replace the ring tone that callers normally hear with a personal choice of music or audio content - bringing a more enjoyable calling experience to their subscribers.

Comviva’s Color Ring Back Tone (CRBT) has witnessed huge success with over 13 million subscribers on a single operator network and deployed by over 20 operators across the globe. Comviva has continuously enhanced its CRBT offering to maintain subscriber stickiness, introducing ‘Star 2 Copy’ to simplify usage, ‘A Party Caller Tunes’ to provide callers with a choice of tune and AdsRBT to promote subscriber-relevant brands and enable subsidized service usage. Handset and SIM independent, CRBT is available to all subscribers, whether prepaid, postpaid, fixed or wireless.

Asia Pacific mobile ad market grows to 18 billion monthly ad impressions: InMobi
June 7

InMobi, the world’s largest independent mobile ad network, today revealed its Mobile Insights Report – Asia Pacific Edition April 2011, reporting a 10% increase in the Asia Pacific mobile ad market from January to April 2011. The largest and most comprehensive report of its kind is based on data from the InMobi global network which serves 35.0 billion monthly mobile advertising impressions to over 314 million consumers globally. Following the global trend, Android surpasses iPhone OS impression share in Asia Pacific for the first time, capturing 9.5% share of regional ad impressions.

Key Asia Pacific findings include:

Asia Pacific mobile impressions on the InMobi network surpass 18 billion monthly impressions, growing 10% from January to April 2011.
The volume of mobile impressions in Asia Pacific signifies the reach mobile devices can offer local, regional and global brands in these mobile first markets.
Advanced phones still dominate the market with 76% share of ad impressions.
Smartphone impressions continue to grow at a faster pace than advanced phone impressions, although smartphones represent only 1 of every 4 ads in this enormous market.
Android reaches 1.7 billion impressions to capture 9.5% share of impressions, gaining +4.3 share points in just 3 months.
Nokia OS remains the top platform in the region, but loses -1.9 share points to hold 27.3% share.
iPhone OS & Android together now represent 18.9% of all InMobi impressions in the region.
Nokia remains the dominant mobile device manufacturer in the region, controlling 49.9% of the mobile ad share in the market.
Even with a drop of 1.5 share points in April 2011, Nokia continues to be the dominant device manufacturer in Asia Pacific by ad impressions.
With a 16.8% market share, Samsung grew the fastest from January to April 2011, gaining +2.6 share points.
7 of every 10 mobile ads across the InMobi network in Asia Pacific are delivered on Nokia or Samsung devices.
India (41.6%), Indonesia (25.2%), and Vietnam (9.1%) represent the greatest portion of mobile impressions in Asia Pacific on the InMobi network.