Tuesday, January 31, 2017

TIMES NETWORK presents special programs on Budget 2017


TIMES NETWORK presents a special programming line-up for Budget 2017
~Unmatched Coverage on Three Leading Channels~
  • Big Debate on TIMES NOW: Votes or Vision
  • Biggest Ever Budget on ET NOW: Tryst With Destiny
  • In-Depth Analysis on Personal Finance: Magicbricks NOW
TIMES NETWORK, the television broadcast division of India’s largest media conglomerate The Times Group, has always been at the forefront of economic events that have a big impact on the nation. We believe that Budget 2017 will be a turning  point for the country, as it comes against the backdrop of the current BJP led government’s historic cash clean-up drive. 
There is a lot at stake for everyone, be it industry or individuals.  The expectations are high from the government, which is expected to open the floodgates for reforms and cash in on India’s pole position at a global level. Keeping this in mind, TIMES NETWORK has a special programming lined up for the biggest announcement of the year – Budget 2017, across its three leading news channels, ET NOW, TIMES NOW and MAGICBRICKS NOW.

ET NOW
Leading the power-packed campaign will be ET NOW, India’s leading English business news channel, with an exclusive campaign ‘Budget 2017: Tryst with Destiny’. In a way ET NOW will be a chronicler of history, considering the big shift in the functioning of the economy in the wake of demonetization.

The channel will be the torch-bearer of budget debates, anchored bySandeep Gurumurthi, Supriya Shrinate, Nikunj Dalmia, Mythili Bhusnurmath, Faye D’Souza, Ayesha Faridi, Tanvir Gill andSwaminathan Aiyar. The channel will ensure that viewers get all the relevant information comprehensively on ET NOW, well ahead of competition.  

The one-hour special ‘Budget Debate’, anchored by Supriya Shrinate, will present views from India Inc’s top CEOs and renowned economists, policy makers like Chanda Kochhar, MD & CEO, ICICI Bank; Deepak Parekh, Chairman, HDFC; Pawan Goenka, MD, M&M; Nitin Gadkari, Union Highways Minister; Piyush Goyal, Union Power Minister; Amitabh Kant, CEO, Niti Aayog; Prakash Javadekar, Union HRD Minister; Nirmala Sitaraman, Industry & Commerce Minister; Jayant Sinha, Minister of State for Aviation; Ramdeo Agrawal, Motilal Oswal; Rashesh Shah, Edelweiss Group; Nilesh Shah, Kotak AMC; and Jahangir Aziz, JPMorgan; Shaktikanta Das, DEA Secretary; Arvind Subramanian, Chief Economic Advisor; Arvind Panagariya, Vice-Chairman, Niti Aayog; Nalil Kohli, BJP Spokesperson; Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Congress Spokesperson and Shashi Tharoor, Congress Leader.
As finance minister Arun Jaitley sets the agenda for Budget 2017, ET NOW will bring the insights from world renowned economists while ET NOW’s Consulting Editor, Swaminathan Aiyar, will break up the key takeaways for the common man.
Supporting the on-air line-up, ET NOW has designed a 360-degree campaign across different platforms, including print, OOH, radio, digital and trade. The channel has also lined up a contest for its viewers to enhance consumer engagement.
Marketing plan for Budget 2017
The marketing plan for Union Budget 2017 included Print ads across eight major metros on February 1, 2017; Out Of Home (OOH) Advertising in Mumbai, Delhi & Bangalore at major bus shelters, metro panels and branding at airports; EPG Branding at Hathway, DEN & Asianet; Radio announcements Mumbai, Delhi & Bangalore; Digital campaigns for Budget special with hash-tag promotion; Trade promotions with Newsletter branding & Page Pushers and Viewer contest which includes Watch & Win IPhone 7.

TIMES NOW
The undisputed leader among English news channels, TIMES NOWwill present non-stop programming from 7 am on Feb 1, 2017, titled ‘Budget 2017: Votes or Vision’. The penultimate budget before the current Governments term ends; expectations are intense from this budget. The government is walking a tight rope; it’s a double edged sword as an extreme reform oriented budget might be unpopular among the masses, especially with elections to 5 key states just around the corner. On the other hand a populist budget with sops will hit the nation long term economic growth. How will they strike the balance? Will it be votes for the party or vision for the nation?

Catch a power-packed panel including Rajiv Kumar, Senior Fellow at Centre for Policy Research, Rajiv Desai, Comma Consulting, Lord Meghnad Desai, Economist and Omkar Goswami, Chairperson of CERG Advisory  decode the historic budget into news that the viewers can use. 

The budget coverage will begin with discussions on dissecting the economy in the run-up to the FM’s speech. With the help of advanced technologies like augmented reality (AR) graphics and holograms, TIMES NOW will reach out to the common man. 
MAGICBRICKS NOW
Tracking the Budget announcements closely, Magicbricks NOW will break up key policy decisions and analyze their impact on the Urban Citizen. Investor’s Guide, the exclusive show on personal finance, will decode the Budget from multiple angles and not just the lens of real estate. It will give an in - depth analysis on the tax policy and how it affects your wallet. The channel will bring live audience from across five cities, with personal finance experts answering all their queries on tax implications, investment possibilities and home buying.  

The channel will feature top experts like Dhirendra Kumar, CEO, Value Research, Shailesh Haribhakti, Chairman, Dh Consultants, Anuj Puri, CEO, JLL and Pankaj Razdan, CEO & MD, Aditya Birla Life Insurance. This show will be anchored by Faye D’Souza, Senior Editor, Personal Finance and Real Estate of ET NOW and Editor of Magicbricks NOW, will be telecast live across all three news channels – TIMES NOW, ET NOW and MAGICBRICKS NOW -- at7:00 pm.  
It’s a Budget that can change the course of the Indian economy, a budget that can kick off the next phase of growth. This year, the network talks about Revolution on ET NOW, Votes or Vision and Eco-Political scenario on TIMES NOW and impact of Budget on common man on Magicbricks NOW, as world-renowned economists, corporate honchos and market experts debate the hits and misses. Watch TIMES NETWORK on February 1 as our path-breaking coverage on Budget 2017 unfolds on our three flagship channels!

Saturday, January 28, 2017

Ira debuts with HDFC

                                                                         
Indian Bloggers

' IRA ke saath selfie milega kya ?' my cab-driver requested while on the way to HDFC's Interactive Humanoid launch.


IRA ? Selfie ? HDFC ? Humanoid ? What's the connection ?. All of you, my dear friends must be wondering. 

Hold on to your curiosity , and have a look at this selfie with #IRA  ( Does not she resemble Kira from 'We The People' ? )

Being a no-nonsense ( nosy according to my sister ) true blue journalist , I always chat with the cab-driver , instead of pouting for #OnTheWay selfie. 

Why ? cause, these are the people, who matter, to whom we cater our news. 
Yesterday was no different. I asked him many questions regarding his job and told him that I was going for HDFC's #IRA launch. He immediately perked up, ' Apne Mumbai ki bank mein Robo, pahele kabhi nahi dekha. Selfie milega kya ?'

Believe me, in the past, I had told many cabbies that I was going for Hritik Roshan, Rekha , Sushmita Sen , Tiger Shroff, Abhishek Bachchan , Sonam Kapoor , Twinkle Khanna , Sonali Bendre, Bipasaha Basu, Athiya Shetty, Sania Mirza, Kapil Dev, Vikas Khanna, Yami Gautam etc. events. Almost all of them had reacted enthusiastically but never to the extent of requesting me for the selfie with a celebrity. 


 HDFC bank scores high on this Novelty factor #IRA ( Intelligent Robotic Assistant ) the interactive humanoid, first time in Mumbai's Bank. It  will help branch staff in servicing customers. With this 
launch, HDFC Bank becomes the first bank in the country to introduce a humanoid for customer service.

#IRA is developed using Robotics and Artificial Intelligence technologies. It will be positioned near the Welcome Desk. It will greet customers as they enter the Kamala Mills branch and will display a list of banking services he / she can avail at the branch. After the customer selects an option, IRA will offer to guide the customer to the respective counter, such as Cash Deposit, Foreign Exchange, Loans etc by displaying 'Take Me There' on the screen. This will happen in the first phase



In the next phase, IRA’s capabilities will be enhanced further by introducing more features, such as Voice and Face recognition for customer identification, Voice-guided navigation, Balance enquiry, and Cheque deposit etc. “We’re excited to announce the deployment of our first humanoid, IRA in the Kamala Mills branch. IRA is quite unique and will serve as a technology demonstrator in the field of artificial intelligence and robotics,” said Mr. Nitin Chugh, Country Head, Digital Banking, HDFCBank at the launch event in Mumbai. HDFC Bank has developed IRA in partnership with Asimov Robotics, Kochi.


Mr. Nitin Chugh managed the Q & A session with media and HDFC's branches all over India, through Video-conferencing.  He assured that there won't be any staff-reduction due to #IRA as it is an Assistant for the staff. In the near future, after getting the feedback , 20 #IRAs will be deployed in other branches and new features will be added. He highlighted that it was a proud moment for HDFC as #IRA is latest model of #MakeInIndia.



The whole venue erupted in loud applause as live demo of #IRA was welcomed enthusiastically by the audience.


HDFC Bank, Promoted in 1995 by Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC), India's leading housing finance company, HDFC Bank is one of India's premier banks providing a wide range of financial products and services to its 37 million customers across hundreds of Indian cities using multiple distribution channels including a pan-India network of branches, ATMs, phone banking, net banking and mobile banking. Within a relatively short span of time, the bank has emerged as a leading player in retail banking, wholesale banking, and treasury operations, its three principal business segments.

The bank’s competitive strength clearly lies in the use of technology and the ability to deliver
world-class service with rapid response time. Over the last 22 years, the bank has successfully
gained market share in its target customer franchises while maintaining healthy profitability and
asset quality. As of December 31, 2016, the Bank had a distribution network with 4,555 branches and 12,087 ATMs in 2,597 cities/towns.

For the quarter ended December 31, 2016, the Bank’s total income was INR 207.48 billion (Rs
20,748.3 crore) as against INR 182.83 billion (Rs 18,283.3 crore) for the quarter ended December
31, 2015. Net revenues (net interest income plus other income) were INR 114.51 billion (Rs
11,451.8 crore) for the quarter ended December 31, 2016, as against INR 99.40 billion (Rs
9,940.7 crore) for the corresponding quarter of the previous year. Net Profit for the quarter ended
September 30, 2016, was INR 38.65 billion (Rs 3,865.3 crore), up by 15.1% over the
corresponding quarter ended December 31, 2015. Total income for the year ended March 31, 2016, was INR 709.73 billion (Rs 70973.2 crore). Leading Indian and international publications have recognised the bank for its performance and quality.

For more information please log on to: HDFC

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

AXILSPOT Wireless Bridge

Inline image 1 
Escalate Your Wireless Backhaul Performance To a New Level With AXILSPOT’s AIP5 Wireless Bridge


 The new AIP5 11AC wireless bridge is customised for optimum performance in harsh outdoor conditions and comes as a perfect solution for ISPs to quickly scale up broadband backhaul ~

  AXILSPOTFurther expanding its portfolio of cutting edge enterprise wireless solutions, AXILSPOT, the industry leader in enterprise WLAN solutions has rolled out its AIP5 11AC wireless bridge solution tailored to operate in adverse climatic conditions.

AIP5 11AC is an exemplary solution for Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to amplify broadband backhaul as well as furnish wireless service in areas where fixed line resources are scarce.

The service providers can gain a competitive edge by offering best in class wireless backhaul performance at ranges extending to up to more than 10 kilometres.
The AIP5 features a pole-mount shape for hassle free installation and maintenance and operates at 5GHz frequency. The industry leading RF technology embedded in the solution also offers 900 Mbps RF capacity. It also incorporates 2 GE ports with the main port supporting 24V Passive POE while the sub port is capable of powering other devices.

The AIP5 comes as a perfect solution for schools, factories, warehouses and other enterprise environments where extension of network is critical across remote structures and where Ethernet line connectivity is not possible.

To further facilitate the installation of the solution, AXILSPOT has a local office in India and operations with local sales, support team along with a PAN India distribution network across the country which is expanding fast. 




Salient Features of AIP5:


High Capacity RF Performance:
The 802.11ac Gigabit Wi-Fi coupled with Gigabit Ethernet enables fast data forwarding without any congestion making it ideal for a high-bandwidth hungry scenario.
The Proprietary TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access) technology also enhances throughput and reduces latency, concluding in higher network capacity as well as stability.

Perfect for outdoor Harsh Environments:AIP5 is designed to be rugged as well as cater to the requirements of industrial applications like Enterprise, Hub, Mining, school and construction. It leverages industrial grade components as well as waterproof/ dustproof housing design for a consistent performance in extreme outdoor conditions. Its hardware structure ensures safety of components from static electricity and lightning.

Convenient Deployment:
The power module incorporated in the solution enables remote device reset, for an easy and flexible installation.

Centralized Management:
A unified management podium manages all wireless outdoor CPE and station series products, shrinking the workload of maintaining and managing large scale deployments.



Other key features of the AIP5 solution include:·         
  • Furnishes a continual coverage,  ranges from 10~20km
  • Best for uninterrupted ptp / ptmp link
  • Best for WISP solution providers
  • Eliminate interference by using 802.11ac 900 mbps 5GHz link

About AXILSPOT:

AXILSPOT is a new force to reckon in the global Enterprise WLAN industry with the core intellectual property rights. AXILSPOT delivers Global Quality Products with superior innovative solutions to the most critical issues we are facing today in wireless networks: how to create affordable reliability and how to overcome dramatically increasing connected needs all over the world.

AXILSPOT is dedicated to provide the most consistent and highest-speed wireless coverage and transmission solution(s) – anywhere, everywhere, all the time.

The company’s solutions can be widely implemented in Large Corporate Enterprises, Government, Education, Hospitality, Transportation, Manufacture, Financial, Healthcare and SMEs among other critical industry verticals.


To know more please visit: 
http://www.AXILSPOT.com/.

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

La La Land leads OSCARS with 14 nominations


THE 89TH ACADEMY AWARDS NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED ON STAR MOVIES!
~ La La Land leads with 14 nominations amongst the contenders for the upcoming award show on February 27th  2017~
89AA_Title

The 89th edition of the Academy Awards is sure to be one of the most anticipated events across the world. Your wait is finally over as the 89th academy awards announces its nominations on Star Movies.
With a month to go for the prestigious awards night, the nominations were announced by Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs accompanied by past Oscar® winners and Nominees- actresses Brie Larson, Jennifer Hudson, Director Jason Reitman, actor Ken Watanabe and Cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki. They each took turns revealing which directors, artists, composers, musicians and screenwriters are being honored for their respective films in 2016.

The Oscars® will be held at the Dolby Theater which will be televised LIVE on Star Movies, Star Movies HD and Star Movies Select HD at 5:30 am on Monday, February 27th with a repeat at 8:30 pm. Here is a look at the nominations in each category.



Nominations in the BEST PICTURE category
A.    Arrival

B.    Fences

C.   Hacksaw Ridge

D.    Hell or High Water

E.     Hidden Figures

F.     La La Land

G.   Manchester by the Sea

H.    Lion

I.      Moonlight

 Nominations in the BEST DIRECTOR category

A.    Denis Villeneuve, Arrival

B.    Mel Gibson, Hacksaw Ridge

C.   Damien Chazelle, La La Land

D.    Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester by the Sea

E.     Barry Jenkins, Moonlight
Nominations in the BEST ACTRESS IN A LEAD ROLE category
A.    Isabelle Huppert, Elle

B.    Ruth Negga, Loving

C.   Natalie Portman, Jackie

D.    Emma Stone, La La Land

E.     Meryl Streep, Florence Foster Jenkins

Nominations in the BEST ACTOR IN A LEAD ROLE category
A.    Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea

B.    Andrew Garfield, Hacksaw Ridge

C.   Ryan Gosling, La La Land

D.    Viggo Mortensen, Captain Fantastic

E.     Denzel Washington, Fences


Nominations in the BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE category
A.    Viola Davis, Fences

B.    Naomie Harris, Moonlight

C.   Nicole Kidman, Lion

D.    Octavia Spencer, Hidden Figures

E.     Michelle Williams, Manchester by the Sea


Nominations in the BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE category
A.    Mahershala Ali, Moonlight

B.    Jeff Bridges, Hell or High Water

C.   Lucas Hedges, Manchester by the Sea

D.    Dev Patel, Lion

E.     Michael Shannon, Nocturnal Animals

Nominations in the BEST WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY) category
A.    Arrival

B.    Fences

C.   Hidden Figures

D.    Lion

E.     Moonlight
Nominations in the BEST WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY) category
A.    Hell or High Water

B.    La La Land

C.   The Lobster

D.    Manchester by the Sea

E.     20th Century Women


Nominations in the BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY category
A.    Arrival
B.    La La Land
C.   Lion
D.    Moonlight
E.     Silence

Nominations in the BEST ORIGINAL SCORE category
A.    Jackie

B.    La La Land

C.   Lion

D.    Moonlight

E.     Passengers
Nominations in the BEST VISUAL EFFECTS category
A.    Deepwater Horizon

B.    Doctor Strange

C.   The Jungle Book

D.    Kubo and the Two Strings

E.     Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Nominations in the BEST FILM EDITING category
A.    Arrival
B.    Hacksaw Ridge
C.   Hell or High Water
D.    La La Land
E.     Moonlight
Nominations in the BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING category
A.    A Man Called Ove
B.    Star Trek Beyond
C.   Suicide Squad 
 Nominations in the BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN category
A.    Arrival

B.    Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

C.   Hail, Caesar!

D.    La La Land

E.     Passengers

Nominations in the BEST COSTUME DESIGN category
A.    Allied

B.    Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

C.   Florence Foster Jenkins

D.    Jackie

E.     La La Land
Nominations in the BEST ORIGINAL SONG category
A.    "Audition: The Fools Who Dream" - La La Land

B.    "Can't Stop the Feeling" - Trolls

C.   "City of Stars" - La La Land

D.    "The Empty Chair" -  Jim: The James Foley Story

E.     "How Far I'll Go" – Moana
Nominations in the BEST SOUND EDITING category
A.    Arrival
B.    Deepwater Horizon
C.   Hacksaw Ridge
D.    La La Land
E.     Sully

Nominations in the BEST SOUND MIXING category
A.    Arrival 
B.    Hacksaw Ridge
C.   La La Land
D.    Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
E.     13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi

Nominations in the BEST ANIMATED FEATURE category
A.    Kubo and the Two Strings

B.    Moana

C.   My Life as a Zucchini 
D.    The Red Turtle

E.     Zootopia
Nominations in the BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FEATURE category
A.    Land of Mine

B.    A Man Called Ove

C.   The Salesman

D.    Tanna

E.     Toni Erdmann
Nominations in the BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE category
A.    Fire at Sea

B.    I Am Not Your Negro

C.   Life Animated

D.    OJ: Made in America

E.     13th
Nominations in the BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT category
A.    Extremis

B.    4.1 Miles

C.   Joe's Violin

D.    Watani: My Homeland

E.     The White Helmets
 Nominations in the BEST SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION) category
A.    Ennemis Interieurs

B.    La Femme et le TGV

C.   Silent Nights

D.    Sing

E.     Timecode

Nominations in the BEST SHORT FILM (ANIMATED) category
A.    Blind Vaysha

B.    Borrowed Time

C.   Pear Cider and Cigarettes

D.    Pearl

E.     Piper

Get ready to witness the most desired award event in the history of cinema. With the nominations being announced, the Oscar® fever finally begins. So don’t miss the chance to watch THE OSCARS® live on Monday, February 27th at 5:30 AM followed by a repeat at 8:30 PM on Star Movies, Star Movies HD and Star Movies Select HD.