VARINDIA IT MAGAZINE

With a recent mandate of Law on tampering of IMEI number- which is a 15-digit serial number of mobile devices,  - a punishable offence that can attract jail term of up to 3 years as it seeks to curb incidence of mobile theft. The move will help curb issues pertaining to fake IMEI numbers and also ease tracking of lost mobile phones. "It shall be unlawful, if a person, except the manufacturer - intentionally removes, obliterates, changes, or alters unique Mobile Device Equipment Identification Number," the Department of Telecom said in a notification dated 25 August.  The new rules called "the prevention of tampering of the Mobile Device Equipment Identification Number, Rules, 2017" bar a person from knowingly using mobile device whose IMEI number has been changed unlawfully or software that can change or tamper the unique number. IMEI is a unique ID of a mobile handsets. Since,IMEI is a unique ID of a mobile handset. Whenever a user makes a call, the call re

Rajesh Gupta, Country Manager, India & SAARC, SanDisk Corporation, A Western Digital company, who oversees the retail sales and marketing of SanDisk Flash Memory portfolio of SD , Micro SD cards, USB and SSD products through distribution & retail channels by covering traditional small format, IT malls, LFR and E-tail channels. Established as the No.1 brand in the consumer segment for flash memory storage solutions in India , Rajesh joined SANDISK on May 2012, with 5 year and 5 month of strong work with SANDISK- WD, finally he put his paper and last date is end of October 2017. Before joining SANDISK, Rajesh had worked with Intel Corporation as the Director sales & marketing for a longer period of 15 years and 4 months as per his Linkedin profile. Rajesh is a though leader in the Industry and take right decisions at the right time, having a clear vision for the company of what lies ahead and managing people effectively to bring out the best in them. Rajesh manages co

Amadeus, the Spanish travel technology that provides the software, confirmed a "network issue" had been causing disruption. Amadeus confirmed that our systems are recovered and are now functioning normally. As a result, the incident, customers experienced disruption to certain services.  This was a worldwide failure and it shows on how airports were affected after the widely used computer check-in system” Amadeus Altea” crashed. Following the news of Amadeus Altea check-in software crash, passengers worldwide could miss their holidays, lose their luggage or even be left stranded in the airport. Depending on the situation an IT glitch might not be regarded as an ‘extraordinary circumstance’, so if your flight is delayed or cancelled you could be entitled to up to £510 in compensation.... Read More

In a recent announcement, Microsoft Philanthropies has declared that it has donated cloud services to 90,000 nonprofits worldwide globally. The company has also reached its $1 billion Public Cloud for Public Good commitment a year ahead of schedule. In early 2016, Microsoft had committed to donating $1 billion in cloud computing resources, over three years, to help 70,000 nonprofit organizations digitally scale their impact and serve the public good. Building on this and deepening its commitment to non-profits further, Microsoft has also announced the formation of a Technology for Social Impact group that will work to bring cloud services to a total of 300,000 nonprofits in the next three years. This group brings new offers to create the most comprehensive suite of enterprise-grade software and services, customized to the unique needs of nonprofits. Through these offers, Microsoft aims to empower nonprofits with the new abilities to scale impact, engage more donors, and achieve

OnePlus has announced its first wave of Diwali sale, with attractive offers and discounts on OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 3T to help consumers make the most of the festive season. During the first round of its pre-Diwali sale, the company's flagship device – OnePlus 3T will be available at a special price of only Rs.24,999 against the regular price of Rs.29,999 on Amazon.in. The promotion offer will be rolled out on the 21st of September, 2017 and continue till the 24th of September, 2017..... Read More

Capgemini has announced acquisition of Lyons Consulting Group (LYONSCG), an award-winning digital and global commerce service provider with deep expertise in Salesforce Commerce Cloud. Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, LYONSCG accelerates the Group's growth strategy focussed on digital, notably in North America. Along with Capgemini's recent acquisition of Itelios, a prominent European Salesforce Commerce Cloud solutions provider, this addition enables Capgemini to meet the digital customer experience needs of its clients around the world, and positions the Group as a global leader for Salesforce Commerce Cloud solutions. "LYONSCG creates world-class digital commerce experiences. With their focus on design and innovation, and their passion for nurturing talent and a customer-centric approach, they are a perfect fit with Capgemini," comments John Mullen, Head of Application Services in North America and member of the Group Executive Committee, Capgemini. &quo

Cisco has unveiled Cisco Intersight, a management and automation platform for Cisco Unified Computing System (Cisco UCS) and Cisco HyperFlex Systems, marking the start of a multi-year strategic program to provide customers with clear IT advantages that support their competitive business goals. Cisco Intersight simplifies data center operations by delivering systems management-as-a-service, alleviating the need to maintain islands of on-premise management infrastructure. Complete system lifecycle management is delivered by Cisco Intersight through machine learning, analytics and automation. Application architectures are transforming with scale-out and multi-site deployment models, delivered by containers and micro-services. In addition, DevOps accelerates the rate of application development and continuous feature delivery. Cisco Intersight addresses these challenges, helping IT staff optimize operations while enjoying a more intuitive user experience.... Read More

Huawei has entered into partnership with Intel and launched the 3GPP 5G New Radio (NR)- based Interoperability Development Testing (IODT) to verify the 5G technologies and degree of maturity. The partnership is a sign that the industry is rapidly maturing and preparing for the upcoming commercial deployment of 5G from end-to-end under unified 5G standards. At the global 5G testing summit at 2017 MWC this February, Huawei, Intel and their telecom operator partners jointly announced that they would work to drive globally unified 5G standards through 5G testing, enhance cooperation among telecom operators, equipment manufacturers and vertical industry partners, create a unified 5G industry chain from chips, terminals, to network infrastructure and test equipment, and build a global 5G ecosystem. Commencement of IODT is a solid step taken by Intel and Huawei to realize this goal.... Read More

Palo Alto Networks has announced enhancements to its Traps advanced endpoint protection offering that strengthen current ransomware prevention by monitoring for new techniques and ransomware behaviour and, upon detection, prevent the attack and resulting encryption of data. Commenting on this, Bryan Norman, Chief Executive Officer, Norlem Technology Consulting, said, “Traps 4.1 takes endpoint security to the next level, and continues to bring more innovative and impressive capabilities to address the modern threat landscape. The added ransomware capabilities and ease of deployment across Windows and MacOS clients further cement Traps as a necessary standard for any organization serious about their endpoint security strategy.” Read More

OnePlus has entered into partnership with Croma, to create more offline touch points for the experience and purchase of OnePlus products across the key cities in India.  According to the company, the partnership with Croma will ensure easy accessibility of OnePlus products. At Croma, all OnePlus products will be available for sale at the same price as online channels and would include consumer offers as are available on all other authorized channels. Additionally, customers will benefit from promotion campaigns run by respective Croma stores.... Read More

Vodafone India continues its aggressive network investment in Karnataka to provide the best data experience to its 7.78 million subscribers. With the rollout of 5,400+ new sites, Vodafone services are now present in 11,000+ towns in Karnataka. With this addition, Vodafone SuperNet 4G is now present in 800+ towns in the state. These state-of-the-art sites strengthen Vodafone’s network in Karnataka, providing seamless connectivity to a highly data-savvy customer base. Vodafone launched the world’s largest SuperNet 4G services in Karnataka in early 2016 to deliver a superior data experience to its subscribers. Since then, Vodafone has expanded its SuperNet 4G footprint to major towns including Mysore, Bangalore, Mangalore, Belgaum, Hubli-Dharwad, Bellary, Udupi, Shimoga, Bidar, Hassan, Hospet, Davangere, Chitradurga, Gulbarga, Raichur, Tumkur, Bhadravati, Gadag-Betigere, Bijapur and more.... Read More

Lenovo has announced the launch of its new range of Tab 4 series in India, the versatile tablets are power-packed, 4G-enabled and engineered for multiple users. They can be tailored to specific requirements, kid-friendly or high productivity. Lenovo’s continued interest in tablets has helped the brand become the No. 1 player in India and the launch of these premium devices further strengthens their position in the market.  The Lenovo Tab 4 8 and 10 Plus in 3+16GB variant are sleek in design promising both sturdiness and style. Beneath its stylish exterior, the tablet is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 64-bit Quad-Core 1.4GHz processor and is backed with up to 2GB RAM and 16GB of storage. Both these tablets come with Dolby Atmos audio technology. The Tab 4 8 sports an 8-inch HD display, while the Tab 4 10 Plus features a 10-inch HD display.... Read More

Rima Qureshi will join Verizon as executive vice president and chief strategy officer just six months after leaving her position as head of North America at Ericsson and reporting to Verizon Chairman and CEO Lowell McAdam. Qureshi will replace Roy Chestnutt, who had previously announced plans to pursue opportunities outside of the telecom giant. Qureshi will start on Nov. 6 and Qureshi will take over “responsibility for development and implementation of Verizon's overall corporate strategy, including business development and strategic investments.... Read More

IBM has announced key clients and partnerships that are fuelling Internet of Things (IoT) innovation in India. This news kicks off IBM’s Genius of Things Summit in Mumbai where more than 200 customers, partners and industry leaders will discuss new ways of doing business and showcase innovative new real-life customer stories that demonstrate how IoT can disrupt the market. “In today’s hyper connected era, business must be able to make sense of the massive amounts of data being generated to create a safer world, improve consumer experiences and deliver excellence in service. The key to this is Cognitive IoT,” said Karan Bajwa, Managing Director, IBM India/South Asia. “With an unparalleled, growing global ecosystem of over 6,000 clients, 1,400 partners and 750 IoT patents, IBM is uniquely positioned to lead the IoT revolution across industries and help companies in India plug into critical new revenue streams.” Read More

Barco has organized road shows in Chennai and Hyderabad, the initiative is aimed at giving Barco partners and end-users a first-hand demonstration of OpSpace, Barco’s patent-pending operator-focused solution, and how it enhances operator efficiency in mission-critical control rooms for better business outcomes. Attendees will also have an opportunity to interact with 3D data in an immersive virtual reality environment, powered by Barco’s F50 projection solution. The 3D interaction will be supported by a solution from TechViz, Barco’s technology partner, which generates the stereo 3xD data from native CAD applications without any data conversion.  OpSpace offers an integrated canvas to view, interact with, and control different applications. It puts the operator at the centre of the information, with all data from multiple operational systems and security networks within easy reach. The cutting-edge solution enables operators to securely consult and manipulate all relevant infor

Spice Devices has introduced the uber premium and stylish Spice V801 in India. The aesthetically-designed and powerful Spice V801 is the flagship product which will represent the brand in sub-Rs.8K category. It is a perfect blend of outstanding style, features and offers fully optimized performance for its users. It aims at providing an inclusive yet all-new powerful and superior digital experience with faster-multitasking capabilities to today’s web-savvy, hyper-connected generation.  The exclusive blend of glossy and smooth matte finish with a streak of gold embellished in the middle makes V801 a perfect eye-catcher. Packed in an 8.3mm sleek design, the Spice V801 provides a unique double dose of social experience wherein the users can access two different social media accounts, including WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, at the same time. The Spice V801 is backed by a powerful 3GB RAM and 16GB internal memory expandable up to 32 GB offering a rich and hassle-free mu

YU Mobiles, a subsidiary of Micromax Informatics, has announced that it will be bringing in YUREKA 2, a new addition to its Yureka smartphone series. YUREKA 2 will be exclusively available during the Flipkart’s Big Billion Day on 20th September at a price of Rs.11,999.  The new smartphone comes with a 5.5-inch 2.5D glass screen, Qualcomm 3.0 Quick Charge and a fingerprint Sensor. Equipped with Snapdragon 625 Octa-core Processor the device is also powered by a 4GB RAM and 64GB ROM. Backed with a 3,930mAh battery, the new addition sports a 16MP rear camera + 8MP selfie camera setup.... Read More

The loss making unit of Tata Group , Tata Tele Services is considering to close down the mobile services business. Chairman N Chandrasekharan is evaluating various and best possible options by having discussions with other telecom companies to sell its stake in the telecom venture, but nothing concrete has materialised. If the group goes ahead with its plan, it will be the first major Tata unit to be closed down in its 149-year-old history. Tata Group is looking to shed non-core and loss-making business to focus on core business as it is sitting on a debt of USD 25 billion and Tata teleservices has 4 percent market share of Indian mobile telecom market and has 45 million mobile subscribers and the parent company Tata Sons, has made efforts to turn around Tata Tele by deciding to infuse Rs 12,000 crore recently after it had invested Rs 2,000 crore in the financial year 2016-17. The company can reduce its debt by selling telecom spectrum.... Read More

The new Telecom Policy (NTP 2018) expected before March 2018, will focus on providing affordable internet access to 1.3 billion Indians and facilitate domestic manufacturing to curb dependence on imports, Manoj Sinha, Minister of Telecom, Government Of India said. The new telecom policy will address sector issues and make them future-proof with the onset of disruptive technologies such as fifth-generation (5G) and Artificial Intelligence (AI). The policy will also focus on 5G technology ecosystem, data security and privacy. Secondly, Internet to all will be the basic principle and to give a boost to telecom manufacturing would be a key factor of the new telecom policy, Sinha said.... Read More

Bharat Goenka, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Tally Solutions, the company behind the revolutionary Tally.ERP 9, was honored with the prestigious M Visvesvaraya Memorial Award. This is the first such award from the premier software association of the country, and given to recognize him as the “Father of the Indian software products industry. Sir M. Visvesvaraya Lifetime Achievement Award is mainly recognises for the Senior Scientists / Engineers state awards for scientists and engineers for the year 2017.  The contribution of engineers and their importance, countries around the world celebrate Engineer’s Day. Right from the invention of the wheel to the creation of Hyperloop transportation. The engineers have provided the vital push to human harnessing technology for their use. In India it has marked September 15 as National Engineer’s Day. This was done with the express purpose of appreciating the contribution of Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya who was born on September 15,

In the new age of hi-tech innovation wave, presence of IoT is emerging towards driving global innovation starting from product designing to security to pricing , customer experience and AI, there is massive disruptions are going across the world. Says, Dr. Keshab Panda is the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of L&T Technology Services.  LTTS is already showing encouraging outcomes with the company’s centres in Bengaluru, Mysore and Mumbai witnessing over 20% women of total strength.Overall, in a landscape where technology adoption is precipitatin capabilities among its existing and future manpower. To help cre employees, LTTS, during the course of 2016, undertook a unique encompassed over 2,000 digital training sessions covering over 1,700 employees.... Read More

Kult has announced the launch of Kult Gladiator that is designed to offer unmatched power and performance. The 4G-Volte-enabled smartphone will be exclusively available on Amazon.in starting 24th September at a price of Rs.6,999. Kult Gladiator sports a 5.5-inch ON-CELL HD IPS display supported with a 2.5D curved glass and powered by 4,000mAh battery. The smartphone has 3GB RAM and in-built 32GB ROM with an expandable memory of additional 32 GB (supports 3 Slots: 2 SIM slots + 1 Micro SD slot), that ensures that users have their world in the palm of their hands.... Read More

nubia has launched a limited edition Z17Mini device in India at a price of Rs.21,499. The brand has introduced this smartphone with features like 5.2-inch Full-HD screen, 442PPI retinal-grade display which makes images clear and vivid, and with a high contrast ratio of 1500:1. The Limited Edition Z17Mini sports a 2,950mAh non-removable battery and comes with 64- Bit Octa-Core Qualcomm 653 processor. The phone is equipped with 6GB RAM, 128GB ROM, a 16MP front and 13MP Dual Camera with Sapphire Glass Protective Lens and F2.2 Aperture. The limited edition nubia Z17Mini features cameras are combined with a customized Sony full-light MONO sensor and true colour RGB sensor along with proprietary Neo-Vision 6 software package, making the camera unit strong, multifunctional and dynamic. nubia Z17 Mini camera offers 16 different modes other than pro and normal modes along with a Mono, 3D, Times shuttle and many others, allowing enthusiasts to even shoot first and focus later.... Read

Vodafone Group has agreed to a software licensing arrangement with VMware that will enable it to access a range of the technology vendor’s products. As part of that agreement, VMware will be one of the vendors to support the operator’s global rollout of Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) to accelerate its delivery of future products and services in a rapid, cost-efficient manner. Vodafone will deploy VMware vCloud NFV as part of its group-wide transformation program utilizing NFV and software-defined networking technologies across applications and networks. Vodafone will also receive Carrier-Grade Support, a new VMware offering to support the implementation of new software.... Read More

Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT Madras) and Verizon Data Services India have come together to take solar technology to rural Telangana. IIT Madras, in collaboration with Southern Power Distribution Company of Telangana Limited (TSSPDCL) and Rural Electrification Corporation, has taken up this project to provide uninterrupted power using solar technology to 300 households spread across four hamlets in rural Telangana. IIT Madras developed this Solar Technology, which was technology transferred to and commercialized by Cygni Energy Private limited, an IIT Madras-incubated firm, which also carried out the installations. Verizon provided financial assistance of Rs.75 lakh under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) for this project.... Read More

Hackers have been using automated tools to dramatically multiply sophisticated cyber-attacks on critical national infrastructure, public & private sectors and governments and the cyber-crime syndicates are also turning to automated tools because they make it easier to cover their tracks and reduce traceability.There is a new opportunity has emerged and is of great demand and that is ‘Crimeware-as-a-Service’ Fuelling Cyber-Attacks on a Global Scale . Modern tools and pervasive "crimeware-as-a-service" infrastructure allow cyber-attackers to operate on a global scale at light speed,” said Rajesh Maurya, Regional Vice President, India & SAARC, Fortinet. Cybercriminals are now using highly advanced automation tools to deploy malware with much greater speed and scale. CISOs in India can no longer rely on a manual approach in cyber defense as cyber-attacks have become automated, riding on escalating infrastructure trends in cloud adoption and encryption.... Read M

At HP Reinvent, HP Inc. has launched HP University, a one-stop solution to empower and equip the company’s 18,000 worldwide Partner First partners to optimize revenue and future-proof their business. HP University combines sales skills education, product training, and certifications to enable HP’s partner ecosystem to migrate to evolving business models such as contractual and subscription sales.  The global programme combines online and instructor-led training throughout 170 countries. Offered in eleven languages, the programme was piloted and tested with strategic partners in three markets prior to deployment. “HP offers partner-focussed, consultative training with a thoughtful approach to drive the bottom line,” said Thomas Jensen, Vice-President, WW Channel Sales Strategy, HP Inc. “Our global partner-focussed HP University allows our vast ecosystem to focus on driving channel growth with relentless execution, a simple and clear education programme and streamlined, effec

Dell Technologies has celebrated the first anniversary of its formation through the historic merger of Dell and EMC. In its inaugural year, the company formed a unified Dell and Dell EMC salesforce and created a $35-billion Dell Technologies channel and global channel program that added 10,000 new business customers to the Dell EMC portfolio. In addition, Dell EMC experienced explosive revenue growth (nearly double historical rates) in underpenetrated accounts in the first half of 2017, fuelled by cross-selling of server, storage, client and converged infrastructure solutions. Dell Technologies accomplished these milestone achievements while rapidly paying down approximately $9.5 billion in debt, quickly completing three major business divestitures and continuing to invest aggressively in the most innovative technologies for customers. As evidence of early traction, a new independent IDC survey reveals that 91% of customers surveyed worldwide believe Dell and EMC have deliv

The Government of Bihar in association with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) will be organizing Bihar IT ITeS Investor Conclave-cum-Hackathon in Patna on 13-14 September 2017. The objective is to showcase the state’s ongoing developmental efforts and highlight the initiatives being taken to create a strong eco-system as well as attract investments in the IT and ITeS, ESDM sectors. Hon’ble Chief Minister of Bihar, Shri Nitish Kumar and Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, Union Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Law & Justice will be present at the conclave. The Department of IT, Government of Bihar invites participation for a 24 hour National Level Hackathon providing students from elite institutions with a platform to brainstorm and solve real time problems being faced by various departments within state of Bihar leveraging ICT. In this event Government will announce vision documents for IT & ITES Promotion, Electronic System Design & Manufact

Apple has launched two new smartphones, the iPhone X as well as iphone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus and updated Apple Watch and Apple TV at an event in California bt Steve Jobs at the Theater. It saw the magnificiant release of the Premium iphone X handset. The iPhone 8 and 8 Plus are upgrades to Apple's current iPhone 7 and 7 Plus range, updating some of the main features found on Apple's current products. The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus are similar in appearance to the current iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. The latest smartphone is expected to be a radical change for the company, which will seek to wow users for the 10th anniversary of the device. Initially, most pundits thought the iPhone 8 would be Apple's main new phone and to be the revolutionary phone. However, it instead released three smartphones as part of the 10th anniversary of the original iPhone. All the features of the new iPhone 8 and prices. Both phones offer 64 GB and 256 GB and available for preorder on Sep. 15and th

Fourth Dimension Solutions, a Delhi based IT solutions and turnkey service firm has approached the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) asking to initiate insolvency process against Ricoh India, the Japanese firm's Indian arm. Fourth Dimension Solutions (FDS) has filed the petition before the Mumbai Bench of NCLT under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 citing non payment of dues of more than Rs 428 crore. While Ricoh India is listed in BSE, Fourth Dimension is listed in NSE. Both the firms have informed their respective bourses about the development.  "Fourth Dimension Solutions Limited (FDS) has filed a petition against Ricoh India Limited before the Hon'ble National Company Law Tribunal, Mumbai regarding the alleged non-payment of a disputed debit note which FDS unilaterally raised as alleged damages for a contract termination," Ricoh said this in a BSE filing.  "We do not agree with the claims made by FDS and are pursuing the matter through

Infosys has finalized the acquisition of Brilliant Basics, a London-based product design and customer experience (CX) innovator known for its world-class design thinking-led approach and experience in executing global programs. The acquisition is in accordance with the terms set out in the agreement announced by the company on August 3, 2017. Through this acquisition, Infosys further expands its worldwide connected network of Digital Studios that are focussed on fulfilling the needs of global clients for end-to-end Digital Transformation solutions required to meet customer’s demand for next-generation enhanced customer experiences. The addition of Brilliant Basics extends Infosys’ digital design services network to include Europe and the Middle East, and enhances the company’s expertise across financial services, retail and telco sectors.... Read More

With the advancements in innovative IoT technologies, like health monitors, smart transport, smart meters among others, is projected to result in 21 per cent increase in M2M services. The Minister of Communications Manoj Sinha said that the Indian telecom industry has seen a paradigm shift from a voice centric market to a data-centric market. While voice business still contributes a large chunk towards operator revenues, data revenues have shown an exponential growth trajectory over the last few years.  These advances will result in a significant growth of mobile data, and as the telecom sector moves to newer technologies, TSPs will need to identify innovative avenues to monetise this data opportunity. He said that Indian Telecom Market is expected to cross the INR 6.6 trillion revenue mark by the year 2020. Going forward, the consumption of video content is also forecasted to be 75 percent of India’s mobile data traffic by 2021, compared to 49 percent in 2016. Speaking at a Wo

In a recent news on Google to buy smartphone business of HTC, struggling from a long time to maintain revenues, and the devices haven’t exactly been a hit. In fact with the rise of Chinese players like Oppo, Vivo, Huawei and Xiaomi etc.According  to a report by the Chinese publication Commercial Times, Google is considering two options to seal the deal with HTC that is reportedly building Google's "Pixel 2" line of smartphones.  The Google acquisition is being cited given the close relationship between the two companies. HTC is strategic partner of Google by manufacturing the Google Pixel smartphone and the original Nexus phone was also a HTC device. Google is reportedly planning to "either become a strategic partner, or outright buy the entire smartphone unit". However, HTC's virtual reality business (HTC Vive) would not be part of the deal.... Read More

With the photo sharing platform, Instagram, confessed that some hackers had exploited a bug on Instagram to sneak out account information of several “High-Profiled” users. Few days after the confession, a hacker group by the name - ‘’ Doxagram" claimed responsibility for the hack and offered details of the stolen accounts for mere $10 per lookup. The service was being offered on an underground internet market.  Recently, the hackers created a website that had, on sale, the emails and phone numbers of 6 million customers of Instagram including Christanio Ronaldo, Jennifer Lopez, Drake as well as personal information of the gen-pop. The goal behind this act was to force the hackers onto a site that will be difficult for buyers to find out or to force “Doxagram” entirely offline.... Read More

Digital assistants have been the “new trend” in technology for some time now. Every tech-giant whether Apple or Google, is trying to make their digitals assistant as humanely as possible but now with the recent research, you “smart” assistant can be taking orders from a stranger without you even knowing about it.  Researchers developed that Siri, Alexa and other voice control applications can now be controlled using inaudible ultrasonic commands. Hackers can get in your smartphones, open malicious websites and even gain access to your devices just by using this technique. The researchers have named this method “Dolphin” Attack. In summary, Google, Siri, and Alexa can now be hacked with an inaudible Ultrasonic Sound.... Read More

Following the government’s extended deadline for mobile phone makers to give details of their data security practices, the Ministry of Electronics and IT has given handset-makers time till next Tuesday to respond with information. While around 12 companies had met the earlier deadline of August 28 and responded, some had asked for more time.  Several companies are yet to submit their security protocols and allied information to the IT Ministry, while firms such as Apple, Samsung, Gionee and HMD have responded to the government’s call. The new deadline is till September 12.... Read More

According to a news source, being confident about its leadership position in India, Samsung may launch Galaxy Note 8 in the country, on the same day Apple is scheduled to come up with its iPhone 8 in Cupertino, California.  The news source has also revealed that Samsung has sent out invites to the outstation media without naming the event. So the speculation is rife that the invitation is for Samsung Galaxy Note 8.  In India, Samsung is among the leading brands with 43% market share in the smartphone segment. Galaxy Note 8 comes with "Bixby" intelligent assistant and is also water- and dust-resistant. It also comprises of iris scanner, infinity display, 6.3-inch Super AMOLED screen with a resolution of 1,440 x 2,960 pixels. It boasts 64-bit Exynos 8895 octa-core processor chipset with 6GB RAM and 64GB internal storage.... Read More

Avnet has acquired Dragon Innovation, expanding the global distributor's portfolio of offerings for customers as they move from design to prototype to volume production. Dragon Innovation's proven process and deep hardware experience help customers understand manufacturing costs and schedules, find factories and manage production as they scale their businesses.  "With the addition of Dragon Innovation to our connected ecosystem, Avnet further meets the needs for companies of all sizes head on – helping them launch new hardware products in an efficient and cost-effective manner that accelerates time to market," said Bill Amelio, Chief Executive Officer, Avnet. "Dragon Innovation's hardware manufacturing expertise augments Avnet's design and supply chain capabilities beyond electronic components to encompass the entire finished product. Equally important, Dragon Innovation complements our digital strategy by delivering their services through a combi

State-owned telecom operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has come up with voice and data plan of Rs.429, which will give prepaid users 1GB data per day for 90 days with unlimited voice calling.  The pack offers both local and STD calling to any network with daily 1GB data translating into 90 GB of data for 90 days on a pan-India basis, except the Kerala circle.... Read More

A digital currency in which encryption techniques are used to regulate the generation of units of currency and verify the transfer of funds, operating independently of a central bank. Bitcoin is a form of cryptocurrency.A million dollar question is on will bitcoin cash crash or does it have long-term potential? An expert says, he would start supporting trade with bitcoin cash despite its long-term potential being limited. It is a digital currency associated with the internet that uses cryptography, the process of converting legible information into an almost uncrackable code, to track purchases and transfers. The first cryptocurrency was bitcoin, which was created in 2009. Cryptocurrencies use decentralised technology to let users make secure payments and store money without the need to use their name or go through a bank. They run on a distributed public ledger called blockchain, which is a record of all transactions updated and held by currency holders.... Read More

Huawei has kick-started the HUAWEI CONNECT 2017 at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre. More than 20,000 ICT industry leaders and experts gathered from over 150 countries and regions to jointly explore the direction of advancements in digital technology, share new opportunities, drive industry digitization, and embark on a path to new growth. At the event, Huawei also shared its vision to build one of the five major world clouds it predicts will be created in the future.  The theme of this year's event is “Grow with the Cloud”, focussing on the practical implementation of Huawei's cloud strategy, first unveiled at the last year's event. Topics under this theme include business, technology, and ecosystem strategies in the cloud era.... Read More

Just imagine when a device is implanted in your heart to keep beating, just consider for a moment it can be hacked, if you have pacemaker. This week FDA had recalled 4,65,000 of the medical devices - the ones that help control your heart beat -- citing security vulnerabilities. That is exactly what experts are warning could happen to cardiac implants made by device maker Abbott (formerly St. Jude Medical Inc.), require a firmware update since , they are vulnerable to hacking.  Fortunately, it can be installed by a health care provider in just three minutes. The models affected include the Accent, Anthem, Accent MRI, Accent ST, Assurity, and Allure.  You need a pacemaker if your heart is pumping too quickly or slowly. In either case, your body doesn’t get enough blood. This can cause:.... Read More

Former Kerala IAS officer Alphons Kannanthanam has been appointed as minister of state in the ministry of electronics and IT. In a major cabinet reshuffle, the Narendra Modi government elevated four junior ministers to the Cabinet rank and inducted nine new faces. The new inductions include four former civil servants with the 1979 batch, Kerala cadre officer being one of them.  The 65 year old Kannanthanam is a former DDA commissioner and popularly known as Delhi’s Demolition man for his activist stance that led to removal of around 15,000 illegal buildings in the national capital.... Read More

Micro Focus has announced the finalization of its merger with Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s (HPE) software business to create the seventh-largest pure-play enterprise software company in the world. This merger brings together two leaders in the software industry to form a new, combined company uniquely positioned to help customers maximize existing software investments and embrace innovation in a world of Hybrid IT. Following merger, Chris Hsu, formerly COO of HPE and Executive Vice-President and General Manager of HPE Software, was appointed CEO of Micro Focus. “Today marks a significant milestone for Micro Focus, and I am honoured to be leading this team,” said Chris Hsu, Chief Executive Officer of Micro Focus. “We are bringing together a powerful combination of technology and talent uniquely positioned to drive customer-centred innovation at enterprise scale – enabling organizations to maximize the RoI of existing software investments while embracing the new hybrid model fo

Mobile technologies being one of the most preferred channels of interactions has taken the world by storm, unlocking diversified avenues. It has revolutionized the way people and businesses interact with each other. Given the unparalleled advancement of mobile technologies, both public and private sectors have realized its impact on the society. To build a multichannel approach, governments have adopted the m-Governance model with a vision to extend support and augment its performance for a digitally enabled society. m-Governance enables governments to improve their services and strengthen their connect with people, using mobile or wireless technologies. The boundary-breaking potential of this model has created a digital nervous system for governments and given them the power to service citizens 24*7. Governments have been successful in creating seamless integration across multiple departments and making services available on different mobile platforms.... Read More

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) at VMworld has announced a composable platform for VMware Cloud Foundation, based on HPE Synergy. This solution will enable IT organizations to simplify their transformation to a hybrid IT infrastructure, deploy infrastructure as a service (IaaS) and private clouds in minutes and lower virtual machine (VM) costs compared to public clouds and traditional server racks.  Today, IT is under pressure to respond to line of business and developer initiatives with cloud speed, optimize their right mix of IT, including on-premises, hosted and public cloud, all while lowering capital and operational expenditures (CapEx and OpEx). The combination of HPE Synergy with VMware Cloud Foundation will enable customers to:... Read More

“Young consumers across the Asia-Pacific region are now the core drivers for new communications’ services and will have a big impact on operators’ business,” according to Zhou Jianjun, Vice-President of Huawei’s Carrier Business Group. Speaking on "Emerging Markets, New Opportunities" at the Asia-Pacific Emerging Markets Summit in Bangkok, Thailand, Zhou pointed out that young consumers account for more than half of Asia’s fast- growing population and have grown up as mobile phone and computer users with high expectations of technology.  Huawei sees three key areas where these young consumers are driving demand for improved digital services that will have a major impact on telcos – development of new ICT policies, creation of industry ecosystems, and demand for new business solutions.... Read More

Shri Rajiv Gauba, IAS (Jharkhand cadre-1982 batch) today took over as Secretary to the Government of India in the Ministry of Home Affairs.  Shri Gauba joined the Ministry of Home Affairs as Officer on Special Duty on June 27, 2017 and took charge as the Union Home Secretary upon the superannuation of Shri Rajiv Mehrishi.  Prior to this, Shri Gauba was Secretary in the Ministry of Urban Development. He has wide-ranging experience in senior positions in the Central and State Governments and in international organisations. Hailing from Punjab, the 1959 born Shri Gauba is a Physics graduate.... Read More