All Posts in Mobile

|In: Mobile|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

Hike messenger, India’s biggest local messaging app and one of the fastest growing internet company have announced that its users are exchanging over 1 billion messages per day, amounting to over a mammoth 30 billion messages per month.

The company has crossed this milestone a month before it anticipated. This number has grown by 50% in a span of 3 months, since the company’s previous announcement of 20 billion message exchanges in August this year.

This upsurge in messaging volume has been observed post launch of latest version of Hike, Hike 4.0. The latest version came packed with some brand new experiences such as automatic sticker suggestions, hike direct, which allows users to chat and share files without the internet, 500 member group chat with multi-admins, free group calling with up to 100 people, News in English and Hindi, coupons from over 100 brands and special photo filters and doodles.

The upgraded version of hike is available free for android consumers on the Google Play store & for Apple consumers on the iOS App store.

Commenting on the growth, Kavin Bharti Mittal, Founder & CEO Hike messenger said

We are now doing over a billion messages per day. That’s no small feat. We got there quicker than we expected. It’s incredible how well hike 4.0 is doing. The year still isn’t over and there’s a lot still more to come. Stay tuned.

The company recently crossed 70 million users in October this year, making it by far the 2nd largest messaging app of the country. On an average a user spends also over 140 minutes per week on Hike messenger.

Hike’s Growth Story

  • Dec 2012 – Global launch
  • Feb 2013 – Messaging traffic grows 10X week on week
  • April 2013 – Hit the first 5M user milestone in just 4 months of its launch | Raised $7M from BSB
  • Feb 2014 – Hit the 15M user mark
  • April 2014 – Received $14M fresh funding from BSB
  • June 2014 – Crossed 20M user mark, launched first TVC
  • July 2014 – Hit #1 rank on App stores
  • August 2014 – Crossed 35M user mark, receives $65M fresh funding led by Tiger Global & BSB
  • November 2014 – Launches regional stickers on hike
  • January 2015 – Launched free Hike Calls
  • February 2015 – Launched Cricket Scores on hike
  • Aug 2015: Hike announces 20 billion messages per month and launched Hike News
  • Sep 2015: Launched Group Calling with upto 100 people

Additional information

You can download the app at – http://get.hike.in For more information, please visit the Hike Blog

|In: Mobile|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

Malware attacks in Point-of-Sale has been there for a while but most interesting is that cyber-criminals have shifted from using targeted-attacking format to traditional mass-infection tools like spam, bot nets & exploit kits.

Note – In the article, We refers to Trend Micro

According to TrendLabs, attackers went after as many vulnerable PoS devices as possible in hopes of hitting the jackpot. They relied on tried-and-tested tactics like spamming as well as tools like macro malware, exploit kits, and bot nets. They must have done something right because the PoS malware detection volume grew 66% Q1-Q3. SMB’s, which had poorer protections in place compared with large enterprises, suffered most.

SMB’s proved lucrative and easy point-of-sale [PoS] malware attack targets this quarter. This could be due to the extensive customer databases they keep with minimal to non-existent security. We’ll likely see more of such attacks in the future. The slow adoption of next-generation payment technologies like the Europay, MasterCard, and Visa [EMV] and contact less Radio-Frequency-Identification [RFID] – enabled credit cards, mobile wallets (Apple Pay & Android Pay] and new payment-processing architectures could also adversely affect the security landscape.

About Trend Micro

Trend Micro Incorporated, a global leader in security software, strives to make the world safe for exchanging digital information. Trend Micro enables the smart protection of information, with innovative security technology that is simple to deploy and manage, and fits an evolving ecosystem. Their solutions are powered by cloud-based global threat intelligence, the Trend Micro™ Smart Protection Network™ infrastructure & are supported by more than 1,200 threat experts around the globe.  For more information, visit TrendMicro

|In: Android|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

Celkon Mobiles, one of the leading Indian mobile brands have launched its most technologically innovated 7” Tablet CT722. The CT722 is a feature rich yet economical model from the Celkon stable which has been introducing several high performance yet affordable smartphones and Tablets in the market. The model was launched by Sri K.T Rama Rao, the Hon ‘Ble Minister for I.T and Panchayati Raj, Govt of Telangana who has shared the stage with representatives from Intel and  Mr. Karan Khara from snapdeal along with Celkon Leadership.

CT722 packs in delightful features and exciting specs for the range. The Android Lollipop 5.1, powered by the Intel Atom X3 C3230RK processor comes with 1GB RAM and 8GB ROM and 32GB expandable memory. This Single Sim model is powered by the 1.2 GHz Quad core Intel Atom processor.

This tablet also has a 3.2 MP Rear and front Camera. CT722 supports 3G & OTG, with a 7” WSVGA Display and a powerfully packed 2800mAh battery. Priced at Rs. 4999 , it will be available in retail stores and exclusively online on Snapdeal.

Commenting on the launch, Y Guru, Chairman and Managing Director – Celkon Mobiles, said

We are making great progress towards being one of the leading players in the country and offerings such as the new CT722 will help us grow stronger. We aim to become a leading player in the country and in International markets. We are proud to say that this is the most innovative yet affordable Tablet in the country, thanks to Intel for supporting us on the innovation.

Murali Retineni, Executive Director-Celkon Mobiles said

We are pleased to introduce yet another exciting model in the tablet segment. The CT722 is the best in line in its category with  matching those of high-end Tablets and smart phones. Moreover it is also supported by the Intel Atom x3 processor and Lollipop 5.1 making it the perfect choice in the Generation of Tablets.

Anand Ramamoorthy, Director, Consumption Sales, Intel South Asia, while talking about the product said

Intel continues to be committed towards revolutionizing technology to bring to customers the best of devices across price points and form factors. The CT722 is significant addition to the growing list of powerful small form-actor devices being powered by Intel technology. This device comprises of a cost effective integrated single chip solution packed with functionality and performance into a sleek form factor. We are confident that the users will appreciate this tablet and look forward to supporting more such device innovations in future.

Celkon Mobiles has constantly launched innovative offerings in Tablets, smartphone and feature phone categories. The company pioneered the Android Kitkat model in sub 3K category; the first ever by an Indian Brand with its Campus A35K. Celkon Mobiles is present in 10 international destinations including Africa, Sri Lanka, Nepal etc apart from India.

|In: Android|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

After breaking ground in the international calling space, Ringo, the low-cost calling app has introduced local calling in India. With the app, Ringo users can call any landline or mobile in the country at a flat rate of 19 p/min, without any additional charges like roaming, STD or top-up cards. Unlike other VOIP apps in the market, Ringo uses telephone networks instead of phone data or the Internet for a phone call, and thus offers superior calling experience, without any call drops.

Ringo is a one of its kind app in India that eliminates all the hassles of communication today, including switching between apps for different calling options, confusing tariff plans, high costs, and low quality calls. It can even make calls if the recipient of the call does not have the app installed.

Ringo

With Ringo’s standard rate of 19 paise, it is 90% cheaper than most carriers and 25% cheaper than the most popular calling apps that are Internet based. Additionally, the app offers 50 minutes of free talk time to every user who installs the app for the first time, and 50 additional minutes for every friend a user refers to Ringo.

Intending to revolutionize the domestic calling space in the Indian telecom market with this launch, Bhavin Turakhia, CEO and Founder of Ringo, said

Our vision has been to make calling across the globe simple, seamless and low-cost for the masses. Our local calling service is not only the cheapest in India right now, but it is also free of typical telecom-related hassles such as STD charges and differential pricing. In a country where 3G penetration is not fairly high throughout, we also have a strong edge over Internet telephony apps, as Ringo calls do not use data, and are comparable in price.

Ringo is able to offer the unprecedented price of 19 p/min by purchasing minutes in bulk at extremely low prices, and passing on the accrued savings to its customers by leveraging top-end technology. Ringo does not use your talktime, by using a unique call flow that connects both the initiator and the recipient of a call via a conference bridge.

 Additionally, Ringo also comes with transparent and easy-to-read itemized bills, and makes earning free credits possible by downloading other apps from its Offers section. 

Commenting on future plans for Ringo, Bhavin added

Our aim is to become a smart, one-stop calling solution for people across the globe, and local calling in India is certainly our biggest step in that direction.

Current Savings of Ringo against leading telecom carriers are

Go ahead and make your first Ringo call now 🙂

About Ringo

Ringo is an international calling app that uses a unique call flow to provide best-in-class call quality at costs lower than other popular calling apps. Ringo calls do not use the Internet, wi-fi or data and instead relies on regular phone lines. Ringo is unlike any international calling app available today and is unparalleled in cost, convenience, simplicity and reliability. Ringo is available for download on iOS, Android and Windows app stores, and can be also downloaded directly from the website

Image Credit* – indianweb2

|In: Android|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

Inspire your child with the all new Swipe Junior, the safest, reliable and most immersive smartphone for kids with stacks of security features pre-installed for parents. Swipe Technologies, India’s leading Mobile Internet Technology Company on Children’s Day announced the launch of its long awaited product Swipe Junior, a smartphone built specifically for kids at an astounding price of Rs. 5999 only.

Swipe Junior will be a perfect companion for the kids in the age group of 5-15 years. It will not only enhance their creativity but also make learning fun without compromising their safety and security.

SwipeJunior

Swipe Junior comes loaded with 5 exclusive features that clearly differentiate it from the competition. These features include:

  1. Parents Operated Control System – This specialized feature is designed for Swipe Junior enabling the parents to keep a check of the “contact list” their kids are connected to, control/limit the time spent on internet browsing, games or any other apps. Swipe Junior grants extreme flexibility to have SOS emergency dialing facility with just one click.
  2. Equipped with powerful Geo-positioning – An amazing technology and first of its kind to control the Kid’s movement, limiting them to be within defined Geo-Fence area. Parents can monitor the phones location through GPS and can also set “safe” and “danger” zones for their child.
  3. Customize UI for kids – Parents can customize the wallpapers that their kids find attractive and set ringtone that are soothing for their children. Kids can enjoy the pre-loaded apps that are fascinating for them and can also ignite their imagination with interactive story books.
  4. Shockproof & Durable design – Considering the fact that kids drop the devices, the device has a specially designed shock & break proof body made with food grade material.
  5. On Cloud – An all-time real cloud connectivity makes Swipe Junior world’s only unique cloud connected mobile for kids.

Swipe Junior Device Specifications

Powered with 1.3 GHz Dual Core Processor, the device has 512 MB RAM and a 4GB ROM that enables the device to run at a blazing speed. The 4.5” IPS display makes watching cartoons and educational shows a real delight. Animated movies, educational films and loads of informational apps can be stored on its 4 GB memory. Swipe Junior also has a 2 MP rear camera and 0.3 MP front camera which helps the kids to capture their imagination. The long lasting 1900 mAh battery keeps the kids occupied and entertained throughout the day. The device is also enabled with a 3G dual SIM slot.

Shripal Gandhi, Founder & CEO, Swipe Technologies said

It’s no secret that kids are using technology more than ever before. We saw an opportunity to create a device just for kids that provides them with an intuitive, fun and kid-friendly user experience filled with rich, interactive content and at the same time provide the parents an upper hand in keeping a control over kid’s activities. Being the first Indian Brand to cater to this segment, we are extremely excited to launch Swipe Junior.

Swipe Junior is available in two colors – blue for boys & pink for girls. Swipe Junior can be ordered from all leading online portals like Flipkart, Amazon, Snapdeal, Paytm and other e-commerce platforms along with company website, it can also be booked on cash-on-delivery by calling on 8793-038-038. Free Subscription for Parental Control and Geo-Tracking Services is available for the 1st year.

This exclusive offering is for parents who are looking for perfect introduction to a smartphone for their child, with the best safety features available today, expandable parental controls and access to a vast selection of content that delivers life-changing learning and development.

Let your kids start exploring the world today !

About Swipe Technologies

Swipe is an innovation-centric company with a vision to empower India to be one of the top nations in the world in terms of availability of new Tablet technologies and innovative solutions. Swipe was started in India to bring exciting devices to market and today we are a leading consumer brand with key innovations across product, pricing and support. In November 2012, Swipe Telecom was awarded the “Most Innovation driven Company in India by World Brand Congress.” In December 2012, Swipe Telecom was also recognized in ‘CNBC Young Turks’ for its breakthrough strategies and innovation. For more details visit Swipe Telecom

|In: Mobile|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

9Apps & 9Game, the world’s leading third-party app stores for Android apps/games have announced that it has 140 million Monthly Active Users [MAUs]. The two stores altogether have also reached 8.5 million Daily Active Users [DAUs] with over 18 million daily aggregate downloads of apps and games.

Launched in 2012, 9Apps and 9Game, which are part of UCWeb, a business within Alibaba Group’s mobile business division, operate across regions including India, Indonesia, the Middle East and Russia. Boosted by mobile proliferation in these countries/regions and the marketplaces’ size-able app repository, 9Apps and 9Game have quickly risen to become the go-to destination for smartphone users in where it serves.

In addition, by providing in-depth localized operation & integrated promotion services, the app stores have also helped their partners around the world to grow through reaching out to a considerable user base.

Talking on the new milestone, Simon Shi, Head of 9Apps and 9Game, said

We have an active user community across China, India and other emerging markets which have helped us achieve this mark. 9Apps & 9Game give Android users an ideal alternative to download apps and games with no need for account registration. We have not just an abundant and varied app repository but also a huge collection of region-specific apps for each market – that’s one of the factors contributed to our uptrend. While the popularity we’re enjoying also speaks to the opportunity for our app developer partners as they stand a better chance to reach out to more users.

Recently, UCWeb announced the launch of UC Open Platform 2.0 – an ecosystem to help Indian mobile internet players to acquire users and monetize traffic through UC Browser, 9Apps, 9Game & UC Union – a global traffic platform that has a vast distribution network and abundant campaign offers.

UC Open Platform covers most genres of mobile internet players in India, including content and service providers, affiliates, developers, agencies, ad networks, publishers and advertises – providing a full-suite promotion and monetization platform.

9Apps marked its entry into India with an office opened in Mumbai in June 2014. The business has shown deep commitment to Indian market with its ‘Fundraiser Program’ launched earlier this year. 9Apps has committed Rs 10 lakh to not-for-profit organization Prayas for education of the girl child in India.

About 9Apps

9Apps is one of the most popular Android marketplaces globally with a huge audience base as well as an abundant and varied app repository in India. 9Apps supports incremental updates to help users save traffic and increase the speed of product upgrades. Download 9Apps from 9apps.com

|In: Android|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

Money View, an app aimed at making users ‘financially fit’, has launched an innovative referral program titled ‘The Goodness Revolution’ to spread its financial fitness mantra this festive season. This campaign is an attempt at reinforcing the message of goodness of the app, especially during this season when one can take a myopic vision towards their shopping and entertainment expenses, and will be on till November 8th, 2015.

Money View operates on the philosophy of giving its users an overview of their financial status which can enable them to take prudent and judicious financial decisions. While more than a million Money View users have benefited from the app, The Goodness Revolution proposes to galvanize its users to cascade the message of the benefits of financial fitness to a wider audience.

In order to participate in this exciting campaign, users will need to refer their friends using a referral code through the app. If you are not a Money View user, you can still participate by downloading the app and then refer your friends. What’s more, when the friends you referred download the app, you and your friends stand to win the new LG Nexus 5X, along with other exciting prizes like Fit Bit Fitness bands, Honor Power Banks, BookMyShow tickets and Wildcraft bags.

Money View firmly believes that during this festive season when most brands are incentivizing everyone to spend, it becomes all the more important is to reinforce the need to take control of their expenses. For more information on this contest you can log on to Money View Facebook page

|In: Technology|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

Leading internet multinational Letv, announced its decision to enter the Indian market by early 2016, at the launch of Letv’s latest products in Beijing. The Beijing based company said that it would be looking at replicating its highly successful content-device ecosystem in the country, providing users with a whole new entertainment based experience.

Working towards providing Indian consumers with local entertainment based content such as movies and TV shows, the company said that it was looking at forging partnerships with local content providers and creators to create the first of its kind entertainment and content based ecosystem in India.

letv-logo

Letv will not only bring its exciting devices to the country, but also its impressive content based Eco User Interface that will provide consumers with access to Letv’s unique and world class content-device based ecosystem that has found great success in the Chinese markets.

Considering the Indian government’s invitation to international firms to set up manufacturing units in the country, the company further suggested that as a part of its long term vision, they would also be looking at setting up production lines as well as R&D centres in India.

At the launch event, Mr. Jia Yueting, founder of Letv said, “Letv could enter into India by early 2016.”

At Letv’s launch event in Beijing, more than 7,000 guests, including industry leaders, opinion leaders and fans, witnessed the launch of Le 1S phone & the world’s largest smart TV – a 120 inch Le TV.

[Image Source* – Letv]

About Letv

Letv is an iconic global technology company that converges culture, content, innovation, lifestyle and entertainment around the world in a way no other company to date has been able to do. Letv opens new opportunities for consumers and the technology and entertainment industries with a jaw-dropping array of products and devices that fit perfectly into a broad spectrum of lifestyles – along with exciting content that keeps the innovations fresh, relevant and always compelling. The Letv ecosystem includes smartphones, TVs, transportation, film and entertainment. Letv is not a lifestyle brand, but a brand built to fit the consumer’s lifestyle!