Electronics Daily India

Sodexo, the leader in employee benefits today announced its partnership with the leading online restaurant discovery and food delivery platform, Zomato. Sodexo Meal Pass users will now be able to order online from their favourite outlets on Zomato. Millennials seek a variety of food options that require less planning and faster access. That's where a solution like Sodexo Meal Pass helps in enabling quick payments while Zomato would collate all our restaurants online to facilitate instant ordering.

Stephane Michelin, CEO Sodexo Benefits and Rewards said, "We have set out with a mission to simplify the user experience in food ordering for the millennial workforce of our 11,000+ clients across segments. Employees today seek solutions that are convenient and our partnership with Zomato delivers just that. I am very certain that on-boarding Zomato as one of our meal associates will bring delight to our 3 million daily users thereby enhancing their overall meal experience."

Gaurav Gupta, COO, Zomato said, "Zomato remains dedicated to making dining choices easier and ordering food more convenient for its users. As a result of this approach, Zomato has become a large part of the daily lives of millions of consumers in India over the past decade."

"We are always looking for ways to make the Zomato experience more convenient and enjoyable for our customers and integrating with Sodexo is another step in that direction. Sodexo Meal Pass users will now be able to pay seamlessly using their cards, when ordering food online from their favourite outlets on Zomato," he added.

As a part of the launch, new users of Zomato who pay for their meals using Sodexo Meal Pass will get a flat 50% off on the first five orders up to 31st July. This partnership will help Sodexo widen its meal network, while the meal cardholders will get exposure to newer cuisines every day. This is in line with Sodexo's initiative to partner with Indian start-ups to cater to the growing demands of the growing millennial workforce and further adds to the 100,000+ points of acceptance for the Sodexo Meal Pass in India.

OPPO, The Selfie Expert and Leader, has partnered with India's leading cricket training academy, PAYYADE Cricket Club to provide scholarship and promote cricket skills to 20 under privileged kids in the presence of Prithvi Shaw, Indian under - 19s team captain. To support and endorse the game of cricket, OPPO has pledged to contribute towards the society and work towards assisting these children in achieving their dreams.

Under this scholarship program, the club will provide two years of cricket training to these children. The children will get an opportunity to be trained under the guidance of cricket expert and coaches.

Mr. Will Yang, Brand Director of OPPO Mobiles India Private Limited, said, "Children are the backbone of the society and it is a great opportunity for us to support the dreams of these underprivileged kids and help them achieve their goals to create a difference in the field of cricket. OPPO as a brand has always believed that India is a talented country be it whichever field they choose to be in and with supporting this great cause, we will be able to provide enough resources for the training of these children."

Rohit Sharma, Indian Cricketer Icon, said, "It gives me immense pleasure to be a part of the brand which promotes social sports initiative. India having the youngest population, has immense talent and I firmly believe that such initiatives will provide the platform for these youngsters to horne their skills. These kids are lucky to receive such support in pursuit of their dreams, and I am delighted to walk this journey with them."

Hardik Pandya, Indian Cricketer Icon, said, "These kids are the reflection of my early days as a cricketer. Not long back, I too was scouted through a talent search and got the opportunity to improve my game. I am happy to know that these children will be getting the required guidance and support in fulfilling their dreams."

Ravinchandran Ashwin, Indian Cricketer Icon, said, "I believe it's a great opportunity for all the children who enjoy the game of cricket. I am extremely happy contributing towards this cause and providing them with amenities that will help in showcasing their talent."

With mobile and Internet penetration increasing at a breakneck speed, people are adopting technology for driving learning outcomes like never before. From test preparation to vocational learning to certifications to tutoring, Indian ed-tech firms are now booming in all niches.

A significant example can be found in the UPSC (civil services) exam segment. In the recently announced results All India Rank 1, Anudeep Durishetty, shared that online learning was a crucial part of his preparation. In a segment in which it is a norm for lakhs of candidates to relocate to a major coaching hub to access quality teachers, such learning becoming available online solves a core problem for aspirants.

In addition to students, teachers also benefit hugely from online platforms.

Traditionally, to extend reach beyond their main classroom(s), teachers mainly had three options. Travel to other cities regularly, use satellite technology such as V-SAT, or use video conferencing software such as Skype. The first two options are still limited by sizes of classrooms. V-SAT technology in addition to high infrastructural costs still needs students to visit classroom centers at a fixed schedule to access the classes. In the third option, acquiring customers has been a problem institutes have not been able to solve.

None of these solutions was able to create a widespread impact.

This is where ed-tech platforms strike gold. Through technological innovations, these companies enable teachers to add online to their repertoire in one go. From helping create digital content, to deliver via efficient learning management systems, teachers can continue focussing on their core strength - teaching.

The smart companies in this segment realize that in addition to technology, and to attract students the platform needs to be student-centric. One such example is the online live learning platform NeoStencil.com. "In this time of technology, it was necessary to go online as well as ensure continued focus on content delivery and student outcomes," shares Praveen Kishore, proud teacher of Anu Kumari (AIR-2, CSE-2017) and one of the over 60 teachers on the platform.

Many institutes are still able to manage content delivery but fail at acquiring customers. One such teacher, Mr Qaisar Hafiz, an ex-IES officer, a graduate of IIT Roorkee and now well known in the IES/GATE exam segment, shares: "We, at Engineers' Zone, were doing online classes in-house but soon realized that there was a need of an expert team to scale. This was difficult for an academic institute like us, simply because that's not our forte. Hence, we decided to join hands with NeoStencil and it has been going great."

Ed-tech platforms such as NeoStencil, Superprofs and Unacademy operate as marketplaces in this online learning space. Some international counterparts of these Indian startups include now-established companies such as Udemy, Udacity and Coursera.

According to a report by Google and KPMG, the paid user base of online education is forecasted to grow 6x - from 1.6 million users in 2016 to 9.6 million users in 2021. This is good news for not only the ed-tech platforms but also the teachers as a huge pool of students who look up to them for quality education.

New Delhi & Pune, India, April 23, 2018 : KPIT Technologies (BSE: 532400; NSE: KPIT), a global technology company specializing in IT consulting and product engineering, announced today that it has partnered with the Indian Government to support the first Smart India Hackathon 2018 - Hardware Edition. KPIT, which brings expertise in developing clean, green and intelligent technologies for the automotive industry, will be steering the evaluation committee of the automotive and smart vehicle segment of the hackathon.

Smart India Hackathon is the world's largest nation-building initiative to harness the innovative brilliance of the youth and develop products for solving some of the country's pressing problems.

Mr. B V R Subbu, eminent industry veteran and a member of Board of Directors at KPIT has been appointed the Chairperson and Dr. Purnendu Sinha Group Technology & Innovation Office at Tata Group as Co-Chairperson of the expert committee, while Sant Ranjan, Principal Architect-System, KPIT will work in the capacity of Secretary of the newly formed expert committee.

The hackathon will be conducted in three phases, which began with the online submission of the entries. In the second phase, the shortlisted teams will submit the videos of their ideas for further evaluation. The selected teams will qualify for the grand finale that will be hosted at around 10 nodal centers nationally in June. 20 finalists from each segment or category will work for five consecutive days to build their hardware prototypes. The expected outcome is to have two or three promising ideas from the various categories, which will be incubated to create new start-ups in India.

BVR Subbu, eminent industry veteran and a member of Board of Directors at KPIT said, "KPIT is honored to be driving the Automotive and Smart Vehicle segment of the initial Smart India Hackathon 2018 - Hardware Edition. It serves as an opportunity for the young talent in our country to catalyze change and innovation by coming up with real-time solutions for the problems faced by the people."

The Hardware edition has 11 categories, including smart communication, medical devices/ healthcare/bio-sensing technologies, clean water, waste management, automobiles/smart vehicles, agriculture/agro-electronics, technology for rural development, drone and robotics, education, import substitution, security and surveillance/defense and security. It witnessed involvement from 14 central ministries/departments, and 10 state governments, which sent around 68 problem statements. For the automobile/smart vehicle segment, around 666 ideas were submitted by students during the first phase, out of which 95 teams were shortlisted for the next phase. In the finals, the participating teams will comprise students from engineering, technology, management, computer and IT backgrounds.

Nexteer Expands Strategic Software Investment & Global Team Plans New Software Center in India, Supplements Global Software Team in US, Poland & China Nexteer Automotive, a global leader in intuitive motion control, opens new Software Center in Bangalore Invests 2 Million USD for overall activities for the fiscal year 2019 Nexteer to hire 50 people to start with and will go up to 100 – 200.

Bangalore April 11, 2018 – Nexteer Automotive expands its strategic software investment and global software team by announcing intention to open a Software Center in India.  The Software Center will be the latest addition to the Company’s global software team that operates under one digital roof with locations in Saginaw, US; Tychy, Poland; and Suzhou, China. Nexteer Automotive presently has centers Pune and Gurgaon. In addition to this, Nexteer is also planning to set up a plant in Chennai for manufacturing of Electronic Power steering which is expected to be functional by 2018 Q3.

Nexteer’s Global Technical Center in Saginaw – in tandem with regional Technical Centers in Tychy and Suzhou will continue focusing on upstream software development and R&D innovation.  Meanwhile, the new Software Center in India will focus on downstream software production and validation ensuring quality and compliance with regulations.  The company has invested over 2 Million USD for overall activities for the fiscal year 2019. Nexteer is planning to hire around 50 people to start with for India Software Centre and will go up to 100 - 200.

“Nexteer’s software business model and our enhanced global team structure is based on delivering innovative software solutions with speed, flexibility and seamless vehicle integration for our global automotive OEM customers.  The role of software in vehicles – and especially in safety-critical steering – is evolving quickly.  Consequently, automotive OEMs’ need for Nexteer’s smart software solutions to their complex challenges has grown exponentially,” said Geoff Krieger, Executive Director of Electronic Systems and Software, Nexteer Automotive.  

Nexteer views its software and electronics capabilities among its key differentiators and expects market demand for its software expertise to grow. Consequently, Nexteer is scouting locations in India for its Software Center and will continue investing in software capabilities over the next several years.  

Industry analysts agree.  “Electronics and software are key differentiators in future growth areas… The ADAS and AD automotive component market will strongly grow providing an increasing revenue pool mainly for software focused suppliers…intelligent systems integrated with ADAS are expected to offer growth potential within respective domains (e.g., steering...),” LAZARD Roland-Berger’s Global Automotive Supplier Study 2018.

Pricewaterhouse Cooper’s 2018 report, Five Trends Transforming the Automotive Industry, concurs – highlighting companies that invest in software applications will be “rewarded with strong growth.”  

SOFTWARE’S ROLE IN NEXTEER’S SAFETY-CRITICAL STEERING SYSTEMS

Nexteer’s software plays a safety-critical role – including cyber security – in its products such as Steer-by-Wire (SbW) and Electric Power Steering Systems (EPS) that are key gateway technologies for advanced safety functions and automated driving.  

“It’s all about safety and performance.  As vehicle technology evolves to include varying levels of advanced safety features and increasing levels of autonomous driving, our steering software ensures the safety net is ‘always on’ in our Steer-by-Wire and Advanced Electric Power Steering Systems.  In addition to our hardware redundancies, our software is built for simultaneous, multi-path processing to strengthen this safety net,” said Krieger.

“Software also plays a key role in cyber security.  We not only design hardware modules on the semi-conductor level for cyber-secure steering, we also design software structures with multiple layers that identify and authorize information and command flow between the steering system and other controllers. As vehicles adopt more advanced electronics to enable automated driving, internet connectivity and V2X communication, Nexteer’s cyber-secure steering technologies become even more critical.”

As Nexteer continues adding functionality and advanced safety features to its steering systems – the number of lines of code required is astounding: 14.3 Million lines of code required in Nexteer’s SbW; and 4.3 Million lines of code required in Nexteer’s EPS – compared to 400,000 lines of code required in the first space shuttle.  

APPSeCONNECT, a product by InSync and the next generation Integration Platform as a Service took the opportunity to showcase its major product release at InSynchrony 2018 - the company's annual event. With business integration playing a major role for every organization, APPSeCONNECT launched some of the most sought-after features including more powerful business rule engine, easier visual workflows, quicker API-led connectivity and the biggest spectacle - Cloud-to-Cloud Integration.

At Swissotel Kolkata, APPSeCONNECT was ready to step into the Future and jump into a quick start for the journey. With everyone at the venue, InSynchrony was all set to become a grand event for the organization. The event was organized to showcase the latest innovations and achievements of this integration platform and how it has readied itself for the Future.

The event started off with keynotes from the man who started it all - Atul Gupta, Founder and CEO, InSync. He shared his journey so far and how APPSeCONNECT has become a popular integration platform catering to over 650 customers in 65 countries (as on Q1 2018). At InSynchrony, he looked back and brought forward how his vision turned out to be one of the most stable integration solutions over time.

Atul stated, "The Goal was to make integration between applications as easy and frictionless as possible, to be able to provide depth in the integration and to be able to connect ANY application an organization may need." 

InSynchrony witnessed the growth and evolution of APPSeCONNECT as the leading integration platform. Atul was glad to announce how APPSeCONNECT is proud to share the ecosystem with industry leaders like SAP, Microsoft, Sales force, Oracle, etc.

Systel, Inc., an industry leader in rugged computing is unveiling Falcon – a best of breed multi-mission embedded system – at the Navy League Sea Air Space Maritime Exposition April 9-11 in National Harbor, Maryland.

Falcon is a fully rugged, high-performance, multi-mission ISR and ISTAR solution. Redefining high density computing, Falcon boasts a rich feature set of computer, video, network, and storage in an extreme small form factor embedded package, providing a single mission processing and network backbone.    

"Falcon exceeds the technology challenges and performance specifications demanded by modern Defense programs and platforms," says Aneesh Kothari, vice president of marketing for Systel. "It provides an unmatched processing combination of high performance CPU and GPU, ultra-efficient multi-sensor capture and encode, I/O and board scalability, and secure storage – all in a SWaP optimized, single Line Replaceable Unit."

Falcon provides ultra-dense embedded capability and a force-multiplier capacity in a single system. It is fully sealed and certified to multiple environmental standards for unlimited platform integration and deployment capability. Falcon is optimized for major mission management software and delivers the ability to ingest and encode multiple sensor inputs in a compliant format for distribution, consumption, and storage.

Systel is demonstrating Falcon as well as a number of other rugged, high-density computing embedded and server solutions in Booth #2351 at Sea Air Space 2018.

AI Incorporated, Canada's pioneering robotics and artificial intelligence research company has released a design for an autonomous refuse robot. A new application for mobile robotics, the new AI enhanced robotics system introduces a device that can autonomously travel to the curbside and wait for the pickup truck at pre-scheduled times. Scheduling takes place with an APP and status can be checked in real time. In case the robot needs help with navigation or gets stuck, the user can control it through the APP.

With this new application in mobile robotics, the company plans to use its Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) technology combined with deep learning to pioneer in a new generation of robots. The autonomous refuse receptacle robot is an application for the company's Versatile Self Localizing Autonomous Platforms (VSLAP). A new robot proprietary software called the Quantum Slam Operating System (Q-OS) helps companies mobilize any given machine. With this invention humans emptying trash cans will be a thing of the past. When it is time for pickup, the bins will simply leave their post to be emptied.

"Robots are the perfect solution for eliminating those tasks which humans do not wish to conduct," said Ali Afrouzi, CEO of AI Incorporated and bObsweep Inc. "With our cost-efficient Q-OS SLAM solution, it is now economically viable to automate trash cans that autonomously navigate to the curbside when the truck arrives!"

These robotic devices contain a comprehensive navigation system using a combination of SLAM, deep reinforcement learning, and computer vision. These devices will be able to map their environment, travel autonomously, communicate with other devices, and monitor their internal contents with an extensive array of sensors.

Key highlights 

Mobile and tech accessories e-tailer LatestOne.com , retains its position as India's largest online retailer for mobile and tech accessories, by crossing the 5 million mark, in terms of number of orders shipped since October 2014. The site receives more than 250,000 visitors per day on an average. The customer base of LatestOne.com has crossed 3.5 million of which 300,000 loyal customers have placed over one million orders. In the recently announced Q3 results, the company announced revenue increase of 19% on year-on-year compared to same period FY 16-17 while the losses have come down from 21% to 12%.

Notably, LatestOne.com is the only Indian e-tailer (owned by Indian shareholders) and the legal entity is owned/ operated by a public listed company.

LatestOne.com, which started operations in late 2014, has the distinction of being the first player focused on mobile and tech accessories vertical in the country. Today, it processes more than 6,000 orders a day on an average. With the addition of 18,000 sq. ft. facility in Kurnool (Andhra Pradesh ) earlier this year, this is projected to increase to 10,000 orders per day for the upcoming financial year.

Apart from Kurnool, LatestOne.com has a fulfilment center in New Delhi too. From these fulfilment centers, LatestOne.com shipped 39% orders to south zone, 24% to west zone, 22% to north zone, 12% to east zone and 3% orders to central zone of the country for the period April 2017 - Feb 2018. Owing to complete control of inventory through its own fulfilment centers and stringent three-level quality check, the company enjoys loyal customer base of 3 lakh customers - a commendable feat by industry standards.

Mr. Ameen Khwaja, CEO of Palred Online Technologies Pvt Ltd(LatestOne.com) said, "It is the trust of our customers, which has helped us achieve the milestone of 5 million orders. We are grateful to our loyal customers who have displayed their trust in our products. While quality comes at a cost, it need not be exorbitantly priced and unreasonably expensive - that is the core belief driving our business. We are in the business of democratizing fast tech accessories, by making high quality mobile accessories available to everyone."

Online print provider Onlineprinters has expanded its custom size option in the online shop to include flyers, the most flexible member of the marketing tool family. Ranging from 7 x 10 cm to 21 x 31°cm, the handy marketing instruments can be tailored to any purpose. Brochures that can be configured in the millimeter scale within the standard sizes A6 to A4 have also been recently added. The custom sizes allow customers to increase the impact of their advertising messages by creating attention-grabbing shapes or unusual designs. "With flyers, it's all about first impression, so that is why size and feel are crucial for this marketing tool," Christian Würst explains; he is the Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) of Onlineprinters. "But a custom-fit trim also creates the biggest impact for other products as well, according to the 'form follows function' design principle."

The custom size option in the Onlineprinters online shop first introduced for large-format product such as posters, banners, adhesive films, photo wallpapers, flags and advertising signs has now been expanded to include flyers and brochures. These products are ideal for special occasions: Posters fit exactly into their presentation box. Advertising signs match the size proportions of the door frame. Banners are custom-tailored to the company gate.

Free to download, Bubble Shooter is a thrilling casual app with thousands of challenging puzzles to master. Deriving from the popular 90's arcade video game, the popularity of Bubble Shooter skyrocketed when it was released as a PC game in 2002 by Absolutist Ltd. and distributed on hundreds of flash websites, giving people the opportunity to play the game wherever and whenever they like.

Ilyon acquired the IP (Intellectual Property) and trademark of Bubble Shooter from Absolutist and developed the mobile version for iOS and Android with new and improved gameplay, features and graphic design. The mobile version of the game remained simple to play - featuring a classic shooter, with players needing to match at least 3 bubbles of the same color to pop the combination.

Since launching the mobile version, Bubble Shooter has become one of the most popular casual games on Google Play and on the Apple App Store, and has been played billions of times. Ilyon's Bubble Shooter includes more than 2,000 levels, with more added all the time, and great features such as colorblind mode, brand new effects and sounds, awesome daily rewards and prizes. Later this year, Ilyon is planning to re-launch the brand on the web with a new version.

"The popularity of Bubble Shooter has been so exciting for our team to see and we are extremely grateful to all of our fans," said Yonatan Erez CEO of Ilyon. "While we will celebrate reaching 50 million downloads, our focus continues to remain on creating engaging, fun and exciting games for our users."  

In addition to Bubble Shooter, Ilyon's portfolio includes different types of casual games such as successful Match 3 and Tap 2 games. The Ilyon team includes more than 100 of the most talented professionals in the mobile gaming industry. The company's different departments - design, product development and marketing - all work together to ensure that Ilyon's global users always receive the best gaming experience. Across its full game portfolio, Ilyon has more than 300 million total downloads, a jump of over 200 million in less than a year.

2018 Fiat 500 Urbana Edition 

Available on 2018 Fiat 500 Pop hatchback models, the Fiat 500 Urbana Edition offers a number of ways for FIAT customers to display their personality and stand out from the crowd. Unique highlights include features such as black-trimmed exterior lights and 16-inch hyper-black aluminum wheels that display signature Urbana Edition elements adding to the classic Italian Fiat 500 style.

Inside, sleek interior cues include black Sport Cloth front bucket seats with silver accent stitching and a black instrument-panel bezel adding to the fun-to-drive environment.

Available exterior paint colors include Pompei Silver, Bianco White Ice, Perla White Tri-coat, Granito Gray and Metallo Gray.

The 2018 Fiat 500 Urbana Edition will arrive in FIAT studios this spring.

2018 Fiat 500L Urbana Edition 

The 2018 Fiat 500L Urbana Edition adds a unique look to 500L Trekking models, with 17-inch black aluminum wheels, black exterior mirrors and a black roof. Six exterior paint colors are available with the package: Blu Denim, Blue Tornado, Bronzo Metallizato (Bronze Metallic), Arancio Pastello (Pastel Orange), Bianco (white) and Giallo (Yellow).

The 500L Urbana Edition is available on 2018 500L Trekking models for an additional $395 and is available in FIAT studios now.

2018 Fiat 500X Urbana Edition 

Based on the Fiat 500X Trekking model, the 2018 500X Urbana Edition features Miron black-painted mirror caps, door handles, tail-lamp surrounds, tailgate release and skid plate, all highlighted with the copper-accented side molding and 500X logo. The 18-inch matte black and Miron wheels are also accented with a copper center cap, while Mopar side moldings, black side roof rails and dark headlamp surrounds add to the 500X Urbana Edition's head-turning appearance.

Inside, the 500X Urbana Edition features limited-edition seats with black Castiglio chevron-patterned fabric, black textured instrument panel with a copper 500 logo, black-painted center console and door-panel bezel, and Miron-painted radio and vent bezels.

The 500X Urbana Edition package is available for $845 on both front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive 2018 500X Trekking models, which start at $23,685 and $25,585 U.S. MSRP respectively (excluding destination). The 2018 Fiat 500X Urbana Edition is available in FIAT studios now.

About the Fiat 500 

Reminiscent of the original Cinquecento, the Fiat 500 lineup goes all-turbo for 2018 with the 1.4-liter MultiAir Turbo engine that delivers 135 horsepower and 150 lb.-ft. of torque plus a sportier appearance now standard on all models. Since its initial launch in 2007, more than 1 million Fiat 500 vehicles have been sold in more than 110 countries. The model's popularity is the result of the Fiat 500's ability to deliver unmatched personalization options with advanced solutions in terms of quality, engine performance and passenger comfort. In addition to success on the global sales front, the Fiat 500 has earned more than 80 international awards.

Building on the excitement of the Fiat 500 (Cinquecento), the 2018 Fiat 500 Abarth is designed for track-day enthusiasts and driving purists who want the ultimate high-performance small car with the pedigree of an exclusive Italian exotic. With its 1.4-liter MultiAir Turbo engine that delivers up to 160 horsepower and 183 lb.-ft. of torque, Abarth-tuned suspension and brake systems, race-inspired design, and technology features not traditionally included on a small car, the Fiat 500 Abarth unleashes legendary Italian performance heritage to American streets.

About the Fiat 500X
The 2018 Fiat 500X delivers the Italian design and engaging driving dynamics that are synonymous with the FIAT brand. The 500X offers an advanced all-wheel-drive system, functionality, and a full array of safety, comfort and convenience features. The small crossover features two engine options, an available nine-speed automatic transmission, and an all-wheel drive system with a disconnecting rear axle for improved fuel efficiency. Loaded with up to 70 advanced safety and security features, the Fiat 500X is available in three trim models and 12 exterior colors to offer the personalization options that FIAT vehicles are known for.

About the Fiat 500L 

Building on the style, efficiency and driving enjoyment that has made the Fiat 500 an icon, the 2018 Fiat 500L expands the Cinquecento's appeal by offering 42 percent extra interior space with comfortable seating for five, engaging driving dynamics and a 160-horsepower 1.4-liter MultiAir Turbo engine, all wrapped in contemporary Italian design.