Mobile devices pre-installed with Opera
Seven Indian original-equipment manufacturers — in the mobile phone and tablet space — have inked a pact with Opera Software to pre-install the Opera Mini mobile web browser on the manufacturers’ upcoming mobile devices that run on the Android operating system. Opera Mini will be be pre-installed on all Android devices manufactured by Celkon, Karbonn, Lava and Intex, a press release from Opera Software stated. Opera Mini will also be preinstalled on select Android devices by Fly and Zen, as well as on HCL ME tablets. The Opera Mini is suited for Indian mobile networks as it uses a server to pre-process and compress websites to as little as 10 per cent of their original size before sending them to the mobile device. The open source browser has seen wide adoption in India, Opera Software claims. “The number of Indians accessing the web from mobile devices is growing at a much faster rate than those using a computer. This unique environment has made it essential for handset manufacturers to ensure their upcoming mobile devices are web-enabled and are ready to deliver the best browsing experience,” said Lars Boilesen, CEO, Opera Software, in a release. Opera Mini is also available as a free download from m.opera.com.
Excellence award
CMC Ltd., a subsidiary of Tata Consultancy Services, has won the Golden Peacock Business Excellence Award 2013, in the Information Technology category. R. Ramanan, MD and CEO of CMC Ltd., while accepting the award, said that it was recognition of the company. “This award is a true recognition of our commitment to process and quality excellence; our constant endeavour of creating value for our customers and stakeholders. We truly believe, that the journey to excellence is all about change, innovative change that results in holistic organisational improvement and sustained growth.”
Intel promoting PCs in the Indian market
Hardware major Intel has launched a nationwide integrated campaign to increase the relevance and demand of personal computing devices, and to drive domestic adoption of technology by targeting consumers with the message of how a personal computer (PC) can change their lives. The six-weeklong campaign started this week in Rajasthan and will cover 40 cities across 10 States. It will continue to educate consumers on why a PC is a transformational device. Sandeep Aurora, Director of Marketing and Market Development, Intel South Asia, in a release, said: “In our quest to bring about nationwide awareness for digital literacy, we will continue to scale up our efforts under the National Digital Literacy Mission and through this new campaign we will urge consumers to pursue their passions and creativity with the power of an Intel processor-powered computer.” Intel will create experience zones under its ‘My Discoveries’ programme across 40 cities.
Tech-design contest for budding designers
Tata Elxsi, a tech-design firm, announced the launch of the second edition of the Ignite Design Contest, which aims to encourage budding designers to enable change through design. The contest is part of connect D, an annual event organised by Tata Elxsi to commemorate World Industrial Design Day. This year’s theme, ‘Design enriching everyday life’, has been aligned to the theme, ‘Industrial design is open’, set by the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (ICSID). The theme intends to convey the growing recognition of the importance of design across industries and how it can help brands and companies solve day-to-day problems to gain a competitive edge in the marketplace, a release from the firm stated. Design students pursuing full-time UG and PG courses in Product and Visual Design (Branding, Graphic Design and UI) in India can participate in the contest. Applicants can submit their entries in two categories: Age-friendly Kitchen Appliances for the Elderly, and Re-defining a Smart TV.
Zoho launches Card Scanner app
Zoho announced the launch of Card Scanner, an online business card scanning application for Zoho CRM. Now, users can take a photo of a business card and Card Scanner intelligently converts the image to text that is automatically saved either as a new contact, a lead in Zoho CRM, or as a new contact in Card Scanner, a release from the company stated. This app now eliminates the process of manually entering data into the CRM module for Zoho users. In a release, Raju Vegesna, Chief Evangelist, Zoho, said: “Entering data manually into any CRM application is a daunting task. Automating this process and making it simple for our users is the primary idea behind the launch of our new mobile app for Zoho CRM, Card Scanner. The app lets users save business cards on their iPhones while at meetings, events, conferences and trade shows, thus saving time and digitising the process.”
