|In: e-commerce|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

FarEye, a digital logistics platform, has announced the successful introduction of its new parcel shop technology – ‘Drop&Pick‘.  Launched in January 2017 the technology is already being incorporated by various large businesses like DHL, DTDC, First Flight and many others to facilitate paperless, high speed and secure dispatch/delivery of parcels through its parcel shop network.

FarEye’s ‘Drop&Pick‘– aimed at major enterprises and logistics firms globally is built to fulfill the need for fast and convenient dispatch/delivery of parcels with minimal cost of infrastructure. Its successful roll out is now revolutionizing traditional dispatch/delivery processes into efficient and customer-centric approaches.

Drop&Pick follows a key three phased – book, manage and deliver process, which is based around a simple to use and intuitive mobile application. The app enables any parcel shop to quickly register a parcel, and the sender’s details [including capturing handwritten information], followed by scanning the shipment and adding recipient name, delivery details and parcel size.  It then calculates shipping fees which the sender can pay in multiple ways – prepaid, wallets, cash or card.

The parcel shop personnel can also book multiple parcels under one sender ID. In the back end – data entry processes convert images to actual data.  The parcel is then handed over to the courier and electronic proof of transfer is collected, who then delivers to the end customer and once again, receives electronic proof of delivery from the customer. This technology while enables quick and seamless dispatch and receiving of parcels – has two additional benefits

SME Ecosystem development – The technology is providing significant benefits for Small & Medium-sized Enterprises [SMEs] and Micro-SMEs who want to sell their products online but cannot build an in-house delivery infrastructure. Their hence need fast and convenient delivery services for their customers. The sellers may easily deposit their parcels at selected parcel shops or they can also raise a parcel booking request online [and prepay it]. It generates a ‘parcel label’ which then acts as a unique order ID.

Reduced carbon emissions – Door to door delivery can waste a lot of time and fuel in finding home addresses, while if parcel is dropped at a network shop, it saves resources. The customer can later collect the parcel at his or her convenience.

This technology is also targeted towards logistics businesses offering franchise models. While this model has been available since a long time to book parcels, the need now is to add a layer of visibility and efficiency to the processes to help businesses make real-time data backed decisions and in parallel empower the customers with easy deliveries, event alerts & notifications. The customer gets an option of getting parcel delivered to a nearby ‘parcel shop’, both -during the time of order placement as well as before the actual delivery.

Kushal Nahata, Co-Founder and CEO, FarEye said

The reaction to FarEye’s parcel shop technology – Drop&Pick has been exceptional. The product is built to enable fast & convenient delivery/dispatch of parcels which provides logistics companies innovative and value-added services, thus increasing their revenue streams while enhancing their customers’ experience.

There is a sharp increase in online transactions and both sellers & buyers require smart and efficient dispatch & delivery of goods as quickly as possible. The global e-commerce market is about 2 trillion USD and FarEye with its technology excellence is integrating into the systems of major logistics service providers, helping them capture this market. Our Mobile Application for Parcel Shop Delivery is a key aspect of the technology, which is being used by many of our clients including DHL. We expect to see the use of this technology across many key markets in 2018.

About FarEye

FarEye is a carrier agnostic SaaS platform that digitalizes logistics by integrating and optimizing business processes and adding a predictability layer to make them more efficient. FarEye has designed the world’s first BPM Engine for the modern-age logistics function, enabling companies to become agile and reduce their go-to-market time. The solution uses a blend of mobility and geo-intelligence to provide real-time multi-enterprise visibility of logistics function. For more information, please visit FarEye

|In: General|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

Having a car of your own is one of the greatest conveniences of life. You can travel wherever you want without the hassles of public transport. However, maintenance of a car is not cheap. Overhead expenses such as fuel, car insurance premium and servicing can strain your budget.

To top that, there could be surprise repairs which could cost you a trip to the mechanic. However, with some simple tools and basic knowledge, you can take care of many repairs yourself. Here’s a list of simple DIY car repairs that can save you time and money:

Changing Brake Pads

Don’t be intimidated by the word brake pads. Changing the brake pads is a very easy procedure and can be done using simple tools such as a wheel lug wrench, basic wrenches, pliers and jack stands. The procedure is pretty straightforward. Here’s how to do it-

  • Remove the wheel
  • Pull out the hardware
  • Remove the worn out brake pads
  • Push in the calliper piston
  • Install the new pads
  • Reinstall the hardware
  • Repeat the same steps for each wheel

Most of the car brake pads need to be replaced around every 30,000 kilometers. However, every car is different, so check the owner’s manual for the exact specifications.

Changing the Battery

Changing the car batteries is by far the easiest of the DIY car repairs. All you need is a basic set of wrenches and you are good to go. Here’s how to do it-

  • Remove the negative [black] cable first and then the positive cable [red]
  • Remove the old battery and place the new one
  • Replace the positive cable first [red] and then the negative cable [black]

Most of the car batteries last almost 4-6 years. Don’t wait for the problems to start showing as your car may breakdown anytime. So check the date stamped on the battery and replace it on time.

Changing the Oil

Most of the car experts recommend changing the oils every 4000 km or so, in order to maintain the engine in top condition. You don’t need to visit the mechanic for a simple oil change. However, you need to follow certain precautions such as, not changing the oil when the engine is hot and handling the jack with care. To change the oil, you will need a jack, an oil filter wrench and a drain pan. Here’s how to do it-

  • Fix the jack and locate the oil pan under the car
  • Remove the drain plug and drain the oil into the oil pan
  • Replace the plug once the oil is drained
  • Go to the engine and remove the old oil filter with the oil filter wrench
  • Lubricate the rubber gasket on the new oil filter
  • Fill the new oil filter with new oil
  • Screw in the new oil filter
  • Fill the engine with new oil using a funnel
  • Check with the oil level with a dip-stick to make sure it’s full

|In: Guest Blogging|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

A country as diverse and culturally rich as India offers advantages that are hard to replicate anywhere in the world. The country that brims with diverse cultures and cost-effective innovative solutions is also balanced with being one of the most sought-after technology sourcing destinations, and a rising development hub. No wonder the world is taking notice, and the next few weeks will see the country host the Olympics of the global ICT Industry, called the World Congress on Information Technology [WCIT].

A quick primer on WCIT to set the context- The World Information Technology and Services Alliance, called WITSA, is a consortium of associations in the Information & Communication Technology [ICT] industry, coordinating with industry bodies like the National Association of Software and Services Companies [NASSCOM]. WITSA represents around 90% of the global ICT market, and has been organizing conferences ever since called the World Congress on Information Technology [WCIT]. WCIT has become the default event where the crème-de-la-crème of the industry gather and discuss current and emerging trends. With just two developing Latin American countries among key developed and technologically advanced countries hosting the event, a South East Asian country like India playing the next host is testament to the fact that we have truly put our stake in the ground as a global tech hub.

Suman Reddy, MD, Pegasystems India

However, having dwelt on how important India is in the technology world, making it an obvious choice to host an event like WCIT, one would wonder why Hyderabad, was chosen as the host city? Hyderabad has arrived at the right time, as businesses become more aware of adopting technology mandates to become more efficient, and gear themselves for a digital-first future. It has all the elements for technology enterprises of varying scale to set up operations: favorable policies for the IT sector, affordable real estate to scale operations, and sourcing premier talent from the region. Combine these factors with flattening growth in other cities, not being prone to climatic and political changes have only aided in accelerating its image. Growth has also multiplied due to concerted efforts by the government, industry bodies, and corporates. Hyderabad is fortunate to have had successive governments, including the current administration’s focus on making the city a top IT investment hub, through a range of measures.

WCIT needed a host city that could not only fulfill the criteria of running it smoothly, but also echo its vision and its legacy. The current government has surpassed everyone’s expectations. Case in point: The government has continued its push to become the top investment destination for the IT sector through a multi-pronged approach: Development of IT parks and clusters, Creating an ecosystem for developing quality talent, and Spreading growth to Tier II cities.

Also, another policy instituted that has set the precedent for favoring quicker turnaround time for investments is the Telangana State Industrial Project Approval and Self Certification System, also called TS-iPASS. The government has made itself accountable by giving deadlines to its auditing agencies to approve projects within 15-30 days, failing which the latter would be penalized.

These are just a handful of policies that have taken Telangana to the top, in the recent Ease of Doing Business rankings, along with consecutive double digit-growth in IT exports. Additionally, the government fostered a spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship, through the T-Hub, India’s largest incubator, and supporting policies. WCIT will be showcasing innovation with around 50 disruptive startups, which makes perfect sense in a rapidly maturing startup ecosystem here.

Hyderabad is also a melting pot of the past, the present and the future, something that resonates with how technology takes legacy and wraps new age tech around it. The vast heritage and legacy of the city is something that brings the culture of India to the fore, appealing to a global audience at WCIT. Delegates can treat themselves to other unique experiences, like a day at the world’s largest film studio called the Ramoji Film City or savour local food in the old city. Hyderabad is rising as a leading MICE [Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Events] destination across the world, and it is no surprise that WCIT is taking place just a few months after the Global Entrepreneurship Summit.

References

  1. https://tech.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/corporate/nasscoms-flagship-event-to-move-to-hyderabad-from-mumbai-after-19-years/60752219
  2. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/ites/why-india-is-seeing-a-fresh-wave-of-global-innovation-centres/articleshow/60238228.cms
  3. http://www.telangana.gov.in/PDFDocuments/Telangana_Innovation_Policy_2016.pdf
  4. http://indiatoday.intoday.in/education/story/world-congress-on-it-2018-india-to-be-the-host-for-the-first-time/1/414074.html

About the Author

Suman Reddy Eadunuri is the Managing Director, Pegasystems, India. Suman is credited with successfully setting-up Pega’s India operations in 2007, one of the country’s leading GICs. He built Pega India from ground-up that currently is at 1500 employees across Hyderabad and Bangalore, a third of the company’s total employee strength. As a key member of the of the global leadership team, Suman has played a key role in helping the organization grow from 126 million to 750 million over the last decade. He is an active member of several premier industry bodies, national forums and leadership clubs across India and beyond, like NASSCOM, CII, HYSEA, YPO and is currently a board member of TiE Hyderabad.

|In: Books|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

One common trait that you would find in any working professional is the urge to do something different in life. It is a general human tendency that you would never be completely satisfied with what you own and there is always craving for something more. In order to chase materialistic dreams, most of them over-work without realizing their interests and what they intend to do for the rest of their lives. Only after joining the corporate bandwagon, they realize their interests due to which you might come across many of them leaving the corporate world to pursue their dreams. It takes a lot of guts to leave a stable paying job to take up film-making, stand-up comedy, blogging, etc. since it involves a lot of risks but the entire journey would be memorable.

Image Source – The Big Switch

Unlike the older generation, youngsters have different career options and it is only a matter of doing a self-realization on how you can convert those dreams into reality. The millennial generation does not maintain work-life balance due to which you would see rising cases of stress, anxiety, insomnia as well as depression. They need to find that sweet spot in order to lead a happy life.

These are some of the topics that would connect with the current generation and forms the basic premise of The Big Switch: It’s never too late by John Thomas. The story revolves around Keith, a 24-year-old man who works in an MNC but his life is at crossroads as he needs to make important decisions in order to find true happiness.

The Big Switch: It’s never too late: Trailer

The central character of the book Keith is a 24-year-old software engineer working in an MNC named H&G, India. Life is going smoothly for him since he has a stable well-paying job, a loving girlfriend Maya but yet he has lost mojo in life. He is not happy and in the quest to find true happiness, a series events occur that completely change his life.

So, would Keith be able to restore the lost mojo and what happens to his personal life, would he be able to handle the stress that is associated with the change? These are some of the things that form the crux of the story in The Big Switch: It’s never too late

The Big Switch: It’s never too late: Detailed Review

The central character of the novel is Keith, a 24-year-old engineer who is leading a normal life and has a stable job in an MNC named H&G. He is talented, hardworking and ambitious by nature. He also has a beautiful girlfriend named Maya with whom he shares a very beautiful relation. But as it happens with each one of us, you have to go through some rough patches and the same thing happens with Keith as well. Also, there is a purpose that each one us needs to accomplish and many times, we shift the focus from our purpose, ambitions & join the rat-race.  Keith also goes through a similar dilemma since he is not truly happy, though he has all the things that a 24-year-old would aspire for.

You only learn when you fall and this is what happens with Keith as well. Due to some circumstances, his longtime girlfriend Maya breaks-up with him and his life enters into a lean phase. Keith is shaken and heart-broken but he takes up this challenge positively and tries to find his long-lost ‘happiness’. So, does he quit his well-paying job to pursue his dreams and makes the big switch or he continues living a mundane life. These are some of the important questions that are answered in his hard-hitting novel.

Any youngster would have to go through such phase where he needs to take important life decisions and this is why readers of the Big Switch can co-relate with the male protagonist. In life, you have to take calculated risks since there is no gain without pain. Along with the right career choices, you also need to make the right personal choices.

While reading the story, you can easily visualize the characters and the story is etched in your minds since it is told in a very subtle manner. The story-telling is simple yet hard-hitting since it makes readers reflect about their lives. Apart from Keith, Maya, there is one more female character who eventually becomes Keith’s lady luck since she truly loves and supports him. The editing is also good and narration is also very good. At around 300 pages long, ‘The Big Switch: It’s never too late’ is a breezy read and its learnings would be etched in your mind forever.

Closing Thoughts

The Big Switch: It’s never too late is a must-read novel especially for the youngsters who are always in dilemma on what they want to do with their lives. The central character Keith showcases all the right traits and fights hard to lead a happy life. There are a number of novels where the plot loses charm once more characters are introduced in the story but that is the case with John Thomas’s novel. The plot is gripping and as the story progresses, you learn life lessons from the situations that Keith faces. The novel is highly recommended!!

Overall Rating – 4.5/5

You can purchase The Big Switch: It’s never too late by John Thomas from here

This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!

|In: Technology|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

HackerEarth has announced that Recruit, a technical assessment platform, is powering the adoption of skill based hiring among Indian enterprise. HackerEarth has acquired a significant share of enterprise customers over the past year across varied sectors.  In 2017, over 300 new clients adopted Recruit, including some new Indian enterprise customers such as Itron, Conduit, Intuit, and Dunnhumby, amongst others. Recruit enables these organizations to source top developer talent, technically assess developers through challenges, and conduct interviews.

Image Source – HackerEarth Recruit

HackerEarth Recruit allows companies to conduct tests to screen technical candidates. Using Recruit, one can automatically generate tests based on skills, remotely evaluates candidates and get a detailed and objective insight on technical skills of candidates.

A candidate assessed through Recruit is evaluated on parameters like logical correctness, memory efficiency of the code, compilation time of the code and code-size limit. HackerEarth Recruit is available for very small businesses for free where they have access to limited features and get 5 test invites. Midsize organisations can use Recruit for as little as $5000 a year.

Per global staffing solutions provider ManpowerGroup, 48 per cent of employers in India report difficulty in filling jobs due to talent shortage. In comparison, the global average is 40 percent. Companies cite lack of available applicants, lack of hard skills [technical competencies] and lack of experience as some of the factors for talent shortage. Hiring today is not limited to sourcing, interviewing and getting the position filled, but also about making the right match between the job description and a candidate’s competence. Despite a million people entering the job market every month in India, a significant percentage of employers in the country face talent shortage as compared to their global counterparts.

With Recruit, customers can leverage the following benefits:

  • Easily integrate with the recruiting workflow of the organization
  • Bias free skill evaluation
  • Improves the quality of candidates in hiring funnel by ensuring relevant shortlisting
  • Automates technical screening process
  • Gives objective and detailed insights to make the right screening decisions    
  • Helps even non-tech recruiter to independently screen candidates

In addition to new clients, more than 4,000 enterprises have signed up on Recruit. Firms embracing Recruit range from leading global players such as Amazon, Walmart Labs, Apple and Intuit, to startups such as Voonik, Zomato, Nagarro and MakeMyTrip. Large Indian enterprise buyers, those with 1,000+ employees, have rated Recruit as their top selection for technical assessment that they believe would be most effective in assessing candidates on their technical skills.

Sachin Gupta, CEO & Co-founder, HackerEarth, said

Traditionally, technical recruitment was associated with candidate’s aptitude only. But enterprises today are seeing value in skill based assessment for various reasons and using a platform like Recruit would help them reap better recruitment benefits. Adoption of skill based assessment platforms like Recruit is gaining momentum among Indian enterprises and in most cases implementing such a platform is a top HR / TA priority.

Vinay Varma, Sr. R&D Manager, Itron, said

We are extremely pleased with HackerEarth’s timely management of our contract and their excellent customer service. We are currently using Recruit to drive campus recruitments. We have been working with their team since August, signing an initial contract for 2000 test invites. We are satisfied with the initial run and hope to reach many more qualified candidates for our organization. The process of technical hiring is different from other functions and Recruit has made it easier for us to identify and assess the best talent from a large pool of candidates.

|In: Finance|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

The Income Tax [IT] Act, 1961 lays down stipulations for the payment of income tax. Income from salary is one of the numerous categories that an individual may receive income from. To know your tax brackets, go through the income tax slabs of 2017-18.

Image Source – Income Tax

Salary is received by the employee from the employer, and includes various components such as Gross salary, Leave pay, Gratuity, Provident Fund [PF], and Employee State Insurance [ESI], among others.

Deductions allowed on Income from Salary

According to Section 16 of the IT Act, an employee may claim for the following two deductions.

  1. Deduction for professional tax

Under Section 16(iii), professional tax is allowed for deduction while calculating taxable income from salary. It is important to note that professional tax rates vary based on the monthly gross salary of salaried professionals.

  1. Deduction allowed for entertainment allowance

Under Section 16(ii), a deduction under entertainment allowance may be availed of by government employees.

Computation of income tax on salary

Though many are intrigued by the entire process of income tax calculation and the incomes tax rates that they must follow, it is quite simple. Your income chargeable for tax under Salaries will have the following major components:

  • Basic pay
  • Dearness allowance (DA)
  • Salary arrears
  • Gratuity (Subtract the amount of gratuity exempted)
  • Interest on PF in excess of the notified amount
  • House rent allowance (HRA) (Subtract the amount of HRA exempted)
  • Amount received through Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) or retrenchment compensation (Subtract the amount exempted)
  • Leave encashment (Subtract the amount of leave encashment exempted)
  • Pension (Subtract the amount exempted)
  • Employer’s contribution towards PF (in excess of 12%)
  • Leave travel allowance (LTA) (Subtract the amount of LTA exempted)

The sum of the aforementioned headers amounts to the total gross salary. You may subtract the deductions under Section 16to arrive at the income chargeable for tax under salaries.

Income tax rates

If you are a salaried individual paying tax, it is imperative to have a thorough knowledge of the income tax slabs of 2017-18. Individuals who earn an annual income of less than INR 2.5 lakh need not pay income tax. Those in the slab of INR 2.5 lakh up to INR 5 lakh, are required to pay tax at the rate of 5%. Income tax rates for those earning above INR 5 lakh up to INR 10 lakh is 20%, whereas individuals earning INR 10 lakhs and above will pay taxes at the rate of 30%.

Assume your net taxable income from salary is INR 7,11,000. On the first INR 2.5 lakhs, no income tax will be levied. For the next INR 2.5 lakhs, 5% will be charged as per the income tax slab for A.Y 2018-19. On the remaining INR 2,11,000, an income tax rate of 20% will be levied.

Use the aforementioned information to understand the process of computation of income tax on your salary in depth and file your taxes on time.

|In: Android|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

Dailyhunt, India’s #1, News and local language content application, today announced the launch of Newzly, a news-in-brief app for Android users. The app offers a summary of trending news articles across multiple genres such as regional, international, entertainment, business, sports and technology. The content is available in nine languages –  English, Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi, Bengali and Gujarati.

Newzly presents a summary of stories in a simple minimalistic design, in the form of cards that can be swiped horizontally to seamlessly sift through subsequent news. The app allows users to read the full article by simply swiping vertically. With Newzly, consumers can also customize their feed basis topics of interest. Users can bookmark cards and share stories on social media including Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Key highlights of Newzly app are as follows –

  • The app offers a summary of trending news articles across multiple genres such as regional, international, entertainment, business, sports and technology.
  • The content is available in nine languages –  English, Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi, Bengali and Gujarati.
  • Newzly presents a summary of stories in a simple minimalistic design, in the form of cards that can be swiped horizontally to seamlessly sift through subsequent news.
  • The app allows users to read the full article by simply swiping vertically. With Newzly, consumers can also customize their feed basis topics of interest. Users can bookmark cards and share stories on social media including Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Commenting on the launch of Newzly, Virendra Gupta, Founder & CEO, Dailyhunt, said

India has a large local language population with diverse needs and the launch of Newzly is part of our expansion of the product portfolio to serve those needs. Newzly app is designed to serve the needs of users who have less time on hand and wants to stay updated with the summary of major breaking & trending news. This app is currently available in 9 languages and we are likely to expand it into more languages in the coming months.

Newzly is a significant addition to Dailyhunt’s product portfolio, which also launched Dailyhunt Lite, its PWA in November last year and partnered with Vuclip and YuppTV to offer original videos and Live TV on its platform.

About Dailyhunt

Dailyhunt is India’s #1, News and local language content application with over 155 Million app installs offering 100,000 news articles in 14 languages licensed from over 800 publication partners every day. The Dailyhunt group has 50+ Million users spending over 6 Billion minutes on the service every month. It’s unique machine learning and deep learning technology enables smart curation of content and tracks user preferences to deliver real-time, personalized content and notifications.  Visit DailyHunt for more information.

|In: Technology|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

Visa, the world’s leader in digital payments, announced a survey, conducted on Indians exploring awareness and perceptions of biometric authentication confirms that consumers continue to have a strong interest in new biometric technologies that make their lives easier. New forms of authentication, such as fingerprint, facial, and voice recognition, can make unlocking accounts and payments much easier and more convenient than traditional passwords or PINs – which are difficult to type onto tiny keyboards, easy to forget, and can be stolen.

Image Source – Password

TR Ramachandran, Group Country Manager, Visa, India & South Asia, Visa, said

The payments ecosystem is witnessing a rapid change in adoption of new form factors of payments and modes of authentication. For financial institutions, the time has never been better to integrate biometric technology into banking apps and payments experiences for customers. We are excited with the increased popularity of biometrics across Indian consumers.

Today smartphones have advanced features increasing the accuracy and speed of biometrics, such that they can be used for financial transactions. Indian consumers too have discovered the ease of biometric authentication and are open to using this technology for transactions going forward, which augurs well for the Indian payments industry.

Authentication Survey Findings

According to the Visa study conducted of 500 Indians by AYTM Market Research, 99% are personally interested in using at least one biometric method to verify their identity, and 99% are interested in using at least one biometric method to make payments.  Higher income consumers are more interested than lower income consumers in facial recognition. Younger consumers [36 and under] are more interested than older consumers in vein pattern recognition. Findings from the survey illustrate consumers’ desire to see the implementation of biometric tools in payment authentication processes.

Highlights from the survey include:

  • Consumers were most familiar with fingerprint recognition, with 32 percent having used it once or twice and another 63 percent using it regularly. By comparison, about 48 percent have used voice recognition in the past and 26 percent use it regularly.
  • The top benefits associated with using biometric authentication for payments are the perception that it is more secure than passwords/PINs [48%] and that it gives consumers peace of mind that their payment is protected [46%].
  • Indian consumers overwhelmingly perceive that biometrics are faster [81%] and easier [84%] than passwords.
  • Fifty one percent are concerned both about the risk of a security breach of sensitive biometric information.

To help financial institutions and merchants more quickly adopt emerging biometric authentication solutions, the Visa ID Intelligence platform provides a curated selection of leading third-party authentication technologies. Visa clients can create, test and adopt new authentication solutions with simple integrations using Visa APIs and SDKs.