Amazon 'Global Store' is now for Indians too

E-commerce giant Amazon has launched 'Global Store' in India that will allow its customers here to buy products sold on the US website and pay in local currency. 

PM Modi: 'Our space scientists keep scripting history'

Indian Space Research Organisation’s PSLV-C35 ready to be launch on Saturday with SCATSAT-1 and seven other satellites from Sriharikota on Monday. PTI Photo/ISRO

PM Modi described the launch as a “moment of immense joy and pride”. 

In its longest-ever flight, the PSLV C-35, carrying India’s SCATSAT-1 meant for ocean and weather studies and seven other satellites including from the United States and Canada, on Monday lifted off from the spaceport in Sriharikota.

Huawei starts smartphone manufacturing in India - adds to “Make in India”

Huawei, announced today that it will start to manufacture smartphones in India in collaboration with leading Sketch-to-Scale™ solutions provider, Flex, in October. Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, Hon’ble Union Minister, Information & Technology, Law and Justice made the announcement at Huawei’s ‘Make in India’ inauguration ceremony in the Indian capital, New Delhi.

Starting from first week of October 2016, the Flex manufacturing plant in Chennai will manufacture one of the Honor smartphones models. The plant will have the capacity to make three million units by the end of 2017. In addition, Huawei will be strengthening its after sales services in India with over 200 service centers, including more than 30 exclusive Huawei service centers in India.

Underlining its customer-centric approach, Huawei Consumer Business Group will also expand its distribution network by partnering with more than 50,000 retail outlets by the end of 2016. This retail network will add to the existing 350+ distributors in India to create a comprehensive, nationwide distribution system. Huawei, over the years, has established global appreciation for its products, both under the Huawei and Honor brands.

Announcing the manufacturing facility from Delhi, Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, Honb’le Union Minister, Information & Technology, Law and Justice said, "I would like to congratulate Huawei on their commitment to pursue their ‘Make in India’ vision. The Government of India is pleased to see so much enthusiasm for our “Make in India” initiative. We are working towards making India an electronic manufacturing hub. As India is set to become the second largest smartphone market, our government would like to invite even more businesses to come and manufacture in India. This is an opportune time to start manufacturing from India. The smartphone landscape in India is growing every day and such initiatives by technology leaders will help accelerate the growth of local manufacturing industry in India”.

Mr. Jay Chen, CEO, Huawei India said, “We have been present in India for the last 16 years and as part of our India focus, we have been consistently expanding our footprint in the market. This year especially has been of significance in our India journey. We recently launched our world class GSC in Bengaluru and the start of manufacturing in India is an affirmation of our commitment to India and supports the Make in India campaign. We are convinced about the growth potential and future of India and we’ll keep looking for opportunities to increase our presence here”.

Huawei’s latest manufacturing initiative is part of its commitment to the Government of India’s ‘Make in India’ vision by harnessing local talent, coupled with the infusion of hi-tech R&D expertise and knowledge into the country. The smartphone manufacturing announcement is another milestone in Huawei’s 16-year journey in India which includes its largest overseas R&D Center and the recently inaugurated Global Service Center in Bengaluru.

LG launches India’s first smartphone with a second screen

LG Electronics India Limited (LGEIL) launched its latest 4G LTE smartphone, LG X Screen in India. The smartphone will be exclusively available on Snapdeal from 20^th July 2016. This is for the first time that LG has decided to sell a smartphone exclusively via the ecommerce route. LG X Screen also features a panic button feature which is in line with the Government of India’s initiative in this regard.

LG Stylus 2 Plus officially launches in India for Rs 24,450

LG Electronics India Limited (LGEIL) is all set to launch its latest smartphone Stylus 2 Plus in India. This smartphone started rolling out globally last month and is now ready to hit the Indian shores. While the design remains consistent with the original LG Stylus 2, the smartphone now comes with upgraded features that give significantly better performance than its original cousin.

LG Stylus 2 Plus packs a 5.7 inch Full HD (1080p) IPS Quantum display, 1.4GHz Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon  processor , 4G VoLTE and runs on Android 6.0 (Marshmallow). It has a 16-megapixel rear camera and 8-megapixel front-facing camera, both with a LED flash.

Gurgaon will have India’s First Pod Taxis

Now this is what I call - #MegaTechProgress - Catchy hashtags I tell you.

The mega project of India’s first pod taxi service, connecting Gurugram to Delhi will begin this month-end. This is expected to be a Rs 4,000-crore public transport project and will connect people to commute via ropeway connected driverless pods. It promises to decongest traffic problems for lakhs of office going commuters on the NH8. 

Even Gartner Finds the India PC Market declining 13% in Q2 2015

People, Gartner has published a report yesterday about a 13% drop in the Indian PC market, in Q2 Y15. The PC Market for this report is a combination of "desk-based" and "mobile PC" markets.

Reference Image for Market Share:

DDR3 Memory Getting More Affordable, Look Out For DDR4

Some say DDR3 is on the edge of being completely overtaken by DDR4. Coming to the Indian grounds, I don't think so! How many of us even know about DDR4? You need to buy a completely new DDR4 system. There are brands that are introducing more affordable versions but mind you, overall, that is still an expensive affair. 

It is true that the prices of DDR3 memory modules are way below what they used to be (Check examples). In under a year the prices have been almost cut to half and expected to drop further because of DDR4. However, that's not the only point. People are buying more of DDR3 modules may be because there are so many new systems being built or even upgraded with new memory. 

Source: MySmartPrice.com

Intel's new Skylake a.k.a 6th Gen processors support both, the DDR3 and DDR4 systems. The company is going all guns blazing with this range. These are now available for Desktops, Servers, Laptops & MiniPCs.

Source: AnandTech

Intel does claim the above when compared to a 5 year old laptop. But if I want to buy a new system, I might as well compare this with the newer configuration available. And reviews suggest only a pinch of better performance, unlike the price tag which would be much higher.


-vk

In Brief: Declining Personal & Entry-Level Storage Market - IDC

IDC has published a report on Worldwide personal storage market. Personal storage, which accounted for over 98% of the market shipments, continued to experience decline in the second quarter of 2015. Entry-level storage shipment remained flat during the quarter, and the segment has not been able to gain market share in the past two years. Overall, though the total Shipments have declined by 9.7% year over year, the share of Hard Disk Drives has grown. Here are the details of the report followed by a few notable pointers.

Release: Upgrade to Windows 10 for Free in India

Microsoft Corp. announced that Windows 10 will become available as a free upgrade or with new PCs and tablets. Windows 10 includes innovations such as Cortana2, an Xbox app and Microsoft Edge for a familiar, yet more personal and productive experience.

The new Windows Store and Windows Software Development Kit also become available from today, opening the door to new and innovative app experiences on Windows 10.