It’s Monday morning and before we move forward it is time to do a quick wrap-up of the posts published on trak.in. If you were offline for any reason, this is a great way to catch up with all the tech buzz!
Central Govt. has sent a draft Cabinet note on Model Shops and Establishments (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Services) Act, 2015, which will enable opening of all businesses 24*7, besides empowering women employees to work safely in night shifts and other labor reforms.
There are mixed opinions coming out on the issue of Free Basics and Differential pricing for Internet usage in India. After Egypt banned Free Basics, speculations are rife that TRAI may completely reject this program inside India.
Reliance Jio and Grofers have partnered to sell its range of LYF handsets through Grofers to customer’s doorsteps, exactly like groceries. For the time being, this offer is available only in select cities in India like Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Chandigarh, Bangalore, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Pune, Kanpur, Hyderabad and Lucknow.
Pune based startup, Optinno Mobitech have now come out with a new Android based smart personal assistant app- SmartBro – that removes all ambiguities and hassles in understanding how telecom operators bill pre-paid users.
Myntra, Flipkart’s Fashion arm is now looking beyond Indian Shores. The apparel and Lifestyle etailer is planning to enter United States market shortly, for which they have now setup a subsidiary called Myntra Inc.
Google has beaten Apple to become world’s most valuable company. Compared to market capital of $535 billion commanded by Apple, Google is now valued at $568 billion.
Jet Airways will soon offer WiFi connectivity for air passengers on their domestic routes. Jet Airways has issued a statement, wherein they have announced several new features which includes some path-breaking in-flight entertainment packages and Internet connectivity via satellite during the flight.
Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL), a special purpose vehicle formed by state-run companies under the power ministry have forged a partnership with Snapdeal. Now anyone can log on to Snapdeal website and purchase a maximum of 10 LED lights at a discounted rate of Rs. 99/-
Lenovo has spoken about its plan to ramp-up production in the country and foresees majority of its smartphones being made in India by the end of 2016. Motorola has finally announced its ‘shatterproof’ screen phone in India, dubbed Moto X Force for Rs. 49,999
In a complete turnaround of events this year, Bajaj Automobiles has ditched the Auto Expo 2016, to be held at Pragati Maidan from February 5 – February 9. Auto Expo is that one stop shop for all automobile freaks, to drool over the concept automobile displays and get free merchandise from car manufacturer’s stall.
Reports have emerged that Boeing may invest ‘billions of dollars’ in India under Make in India campaign. They are all set to manufacture their 5th generation of fighter jets: Super Hornets inside India.
Since it’s inception in January 2010, WhatsApp has grown exponentially over the years, breaking all records and creating new ones. It has been 6 years and WhatsApp has reached One Billion users globally.
India is now the second largest Smartphone market in the world– Smartphone user base in India has grown to 220 million users by end of 2015, surpassing USA for the first time ever!
While Indian Government has proposed drastic changes in the Companies Act, 2013; RBI has announced several amendments in financial and FDI rules which will lure and attract foreign investors to come to India and invest in Indian entrepreneurs.
Amazon has started offering hyperlocal grocery delivery service called Amazon Now in select areas in Bangalore starting 1st February. While they have not made an official announcement as yet, the Android app of Amazon Now has gone live and is catering to 74 pin codes in Bangalore.
Not happy with Airtel’s monopoly in Delhi-NCR region, Vodafone has launched its high-speed 4G services in Gurgaon at the moment and will be launching it subsequently in other Delhi-NCR areas to transition its customers from 3G to the world of 4G.
MapMyIndia, a manufacturer of GPS and In-dash vehicle devices for navigation using maps, has announced its latest self-driving car technologies to be showcased at the Auto Expo 2016. They have unveiled two technologies: RealView Technology and Advanced Maps for Self-Driving Cars.
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS),has now been declared as world’s most ‘powerful’ IT services brand.TCS has earned an impressive AA+ rating with a score of 78.3 points within the IT services niche, which makes them the most powerful and most valuable brand in this sector.
Uber has unveiled its new logo from 2016 onwards, which is quite different from the existing logo. In fact, Uber has redesigned logos for both riders as well as partners. The updated logo can be seen with the updated apps on Android, iOS and other operating systems.
Microsoft has announced the acquisition of Swiftkey at $250 Million, to improve its keyboard application and generate more innovative ideas and features through collaboration.
According to a Reddit user, who conducted tests, Facebook and Messenger App drain your Smartphone battery big time. If those apps are uninstalled, the battery lasted 15 percent more than previous!
Mobomoney, Tech Mahindra’s NFC based digital wallet, has now collaborated with ToneTag, a mobile payment solution service, to allow contactless payments through sound.
The price of Petrol & Diesel affects almost every Indian directly or indirectly. Such is the importance of these two that any increase or decrease in their price is widely discussed. Here is an explainer video that explains how petrol is priced in India
Open Source movement has received a major jolt as Mozilla finally gives up their dream of Firefox Mobile OS. Mozilla developer George Roter admitted that the existing biggies in this space: Android and iOS are way too powerful to compete,
Indian Government’s dedication and sincerity towards making all Indians empowered with Internet and Technology has received a new push. Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has said that in 3 years, Indian Government will convert 50% of all Indians into Digital Literates.
Snapdeal has now decided that they will end contract with Aamir Khan, even though the contract was extendable by year, two persons with knowledge of the development said today
Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Founder and CEO of Paytm announced on his Facebook time line, that going forward, customers can pay for fuel using Paytm at Indian Oil Petrol Pumps.
Baba Ramdev’s Made in India brand Patanjali has been declared as the #1 spender for TV advertisements this week. As per latest data coming in from Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), Patanjali’s advertisements appeared 17,000 times between January 23rd and January 29th, beating all traditional FMCG biggies such as HUL, Cadbury and more.
Do check out our updated Indian Startup Funding & Invest Chart for 2016.
