Nothing is one of the most popular consumer tech brands from London, which has just entered into a collaboration with Myntra, a leading fashion in India, which offers some of the best tourist destinations when it comes to beauty and lifestyle.
Apart from the regular portals like Flipkart, which is India’s home-grown e-commerce website, Nothing is launching its new Ear (stick), on October 26, 2022, which will be available for purchase on Myntra.
Talking about the association, Sharon Pais, Chief Business Officer, Myntra, said, “We are delighted to associate with Nothing to offer an array of premium, high quality and stylish looking audio products to our fashion-forward customer base across the country with high design sensibilities and appreciation for good quality products.
In the last two years, we have witnessed an increased demand for audio products on our platform. The upcoming launch of Nothing Ear (stick) will provide our customers with a wider selection in the wireless audio category.”
Ear (stick), touted to be the next generation of Nothing devices in the sound technology medium, are half in-ear true wireless earbuds, made not to be felt when in use, and balance supreme comfort with exceptional sound.
The earbuds are quite feather-light with an ergonomic fit, delivered in a unique and compact charging case, inspired by classic cosmetic silhouettes that are quite exquisite in nature.
“For the upcoming launch of Ear (stick), we are excited to join hands with Myntra. With this announcement we also confirm that going forward, all products that are part of Nothing’s audio category will be available on the platform,” said Manu Sharma, Vice President and General Manager, Nothing India.
He added, “Delivered in the unique charging case, Ear (stick) is built for those who appreciate our iconic design. With this partnership we want to make Nothing products more accessible for our community.”
Bumble is an extremely popular online dating application cum social networking app, which has become a regular platform for individuals that are single where users are displayed the profile pictures of their potential matches.
It has recently revealed in a survey that people are willing to choose affordable, low-key dates as over 2 out of 5 (41%) single Indians surveyed have claimed that they would pick a free activity (i.e. walk in the park/beach/picnic outdoors) when faced with financial stress and increased cost of living.
According to Bumble’s recent research, almost a third (32%) of single Indians, who’ve been surveyed, have claimed that they would offer to cook dinner so as to avoid going out on a date.
Based on an IRL date, nearly 3 out of 10 (28%) single Indians surveyed said they would split costs with their date while 22% of single Indians surveyed have said they would prefer to pick a bar or a venue that offers discounted prices where they would spend long, happy hours with their date.
“We are often afraid of breaching the topic of finances whilst dating. There is no harm in mentioning that you are being a bit more budget conscious at the moment before you go on a date. Don’t be afraid to have the conversation before deciding on an IRL date and suggest an alternative if something’s not within your budget. That way you’re not ending up in a situation where you found yourself on a date having to pay for something you can’t afford.” shared Samarpita Samaddar, India Communications Director, Bumble.
It isn’t easy to bring up conversations related to money upon immediately starting to date someone but if the latest trends are anything to go by, there are many daters in India are now more open in talking about money with utmost honesty.
Then there are 10 (70%) single adults that have been surveyed who’ve claimed that they would be comfortable talking about salary and financial stability with their dates as they would like to be quite honest with him/her in such matters.
“Being open about finances is crucial in forging healthy and equitable relationships, which is why we want to empower and encourage people on Bumble to openly discuss things that are important to them.” added Samarpita Samaddar, India Communications Director, Bumble.
Tips For Low-Key Dates
Go Out in nature: For getting to know your date better, a trip to the beach or an evening stroll is quite low-key as there is no disturbance to worry about
Street-food stall hopping: Nothing initiates conversations better than street food as hopping from one stall to the other, you get to taste a vast variety of lip-smacking street food, will be a great way to bond on a low-key date.
Culinary Skills: Cooking at home keeps date costs at a bare minimum, therefore once you’ve been on a few dates and feel more comfortable to invite your date over, get creative with him/her to cook up some new recipes together.
Walking or cycling dates: The most obvious one as you can become more proxy to one another and share your thoughts more openly while riding
Xiaomi India can be classified as the nation’s No.1 smartphone brand, which has taken acquired a massive reputation in the past few years with a slew of devices that it has rolled out.
It recently announced its collaboration with Bharti Airtel where both of them will join hands to bring the finest ‘5G Plus’ network in the country in a seamless manner, which can be managed at the hands of Xiaomi and Redmi smartphone users.
This is being deemed a strategic collaboration that will allow customers to experience video calling seamlessly, along with unlimited lag free gaming on the cloud, not to mention an extremely fast data upload.
All customers have to simply go to the network settings of their smartphones and change their preferred network to Airtel 5G in order to enjoy ultrafast Airtel 5G Plus connectivity, which is quite fast in comparison to 4G.
We are living in that day and age where the quality of digital experiences is paramount among users, due to which it is impertinent for devices to have internet speeds that are fast and reliable.
Since 2020, Xiaomi India, with the backing of Airtel, has conducted meticulous testing on its devices to ensure its consumers a seamless transition with their internet, which is straight out of the box and has made sure to provide a prioritised performance and stability even under severe and unforeseen circumstances to yield the best possible outcomes.
Commenting on the announcement, Anuj Sharma – Chief Marketing Officer, Xiaomi India, said, “Xiaomi India has always played an instrumental role in democratizing technology for the masses, thereby future-proofing the needs of our consumers. Our entire 5G smartphone portfolio enables our consumers to access 5G services across India. Xiaomi’s ability to offer best-in-class technology in partnership with Airtel, will allow our consumers to be at the forefront of 5G revolution in India. With high speeds, superior reliability, and negligible latency, 5G services will expand the mobile ecosystem into new realms.”
Commenting on the collaboration, Shashwat Sharma, Director – Consumer Business, Bharti Airtel, said, “At Airtel, we are continuously enhancing mobile experiences through powerful collaborations that drive 5G adoption to new levels. We are delighted to collaborate with Xiaomi to continue driving the 5G ecosystem. All our existing 4G SIMs are enabled with 5G, because of which, customers can start enjoying ultrafast 5G services by simply selecting 5G network on their Xiaomi & Redmi handsets at no extra cost, as we start rolling out more and more cities.”
The Draft Telecom Bill has been tabled recently and gives the Telecom Department more authority in taking decisions at policy level and that too at the expense of the Telecom Authority of India (TRAI).
TRAI has raised concerns that its powers will be diluted due to certain provisions given in the Draft Telecom Bill, which has been created for reducing conflict issues between DoT and TRAI, the latter of which is considered a sectoral watchdog.
TRAI is apparently not happy with the Telecom Department getting the authority to provide commanding rights on tariffs and service quality among other issues and there is a strong buzz that the watchdog might reach out to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to seek a resolution on the issue.
The government has suggested, in the telecom bill, to remove the second, third, fourth, and fifth provisions from Section 11 (1) of the TRAI Act, 1997, which dictates that the telecom department must seek TRAI’s recommendations on certain issues but removing those might give overriding powers and undue authority to the department.
There are reports from reliable officials that TRAI will hold talks with DoT regarding the provisions in the draft telecom bill that it has reservations with and will even approach higher authorities should DoT fail to settle the matter once and for all.
DoT, on its part, has sought feedback on the draft telecom bill from all the central and state government ministries, the general public, and TRAI itself, due to which the last date for sending comments has extended to October 30, 2022, which is a period of ten days.
Conclusion
Given that the Draft Telecom Bill gives DoT a lot of authority to make most of the decisions at policy levels, most of which are at the expense of TRAI, which is why the latter has expressed its concerns and wants to sort this matter out either with DoT or through higher authorities like PMO.
Are you excited to try out 5G services? What are your views on the growth of 5G telecom jobs?
In Brief
Unemployment is one of the biggest problems that has been plaguing India since its independence and continues to do so, despite there being a significant improvement in the past few years.
There have been quite a few changes in the Indian education system as of late and a big credit goes to the massive technological advancements due to which students no longer have to rely on books and their definitions but can allow their creativity to flourish.
In parallel, 5G services have finally been launched in India at the Indian Mobile Congress (IMC) on October 1, 2022, where PM Modi did it with much fanfare while the occasion was graced by many dignitaries of the tech industry.
The roll out of 5G services was a long awaited move that was met with great anticipation as telecom companies like Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel among others have decided to implement 5G into different Indian cities, while big businesses have already begun their hiring to develop 5G specific technology and services.
In the midst of it all, there have been innumerable job postings for 5G and telecommunications that have witnessed a massive 33.7% growth in the past 12 months from September 2021 to September 2022.
It is because business organizations are wasting no time and taking to 5G services like fish to water as they want to capitalize on the opportunity of having upgraded services as 4G is slowly becoming obsolete.
Covid-19 had necessitated the need for having stronger cybersecurity policies as businesses had become more and more remote with the passage of time and everything was going online, which increased the use of digital payments, which in turn magnified security concerns.
Conclusion
The fact that job growth has increased to such a high position (33.7%) shows that things are going in the right direction and will considerably improve in the next few years as more and more online jobs in the telecom sector due to 5G services are going to increase.
Microsoft is one of the biggest tech corporations involved in production of computer software, PCs, consumer electronics, among others that has recently acquired Activision Blizzard, a massive video game holding company in California, for a whopping $68.7 billion, whilst UK’s competition regulator, Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), is investigating it.
The company has revealed its plans to CMA, in its filings, on creating an Xbox Mobile Gaming Store/Platform where the games of King Content and Activision will be included in equal measure, which is part of Microsoft’s ambitious project to create a game store for the next generation that operates on not just smartphones but a whole slew of devices.
This is due to the content of Activision Blizzard being added to improve Microsoft’s ability to create game stores on its own as the tech giant hopes to create Xbox riding on the existing communities of gamers for Xbox so that it can scale Xbox store to smartphones, which will entice gaming aficionados to a new Xbox platform.
Mobile games are highly popular with the millennial generation, which is why they’re some of the most downloaded applications on app stores, while the mobile gaming store is worth around $87 billion, which is why Microsoft wants to capitalize on this opportunity.
When it comes to gaming platforms, the likes of Apple, Samsung, and Google lead the pack and it seems Microsoft too wants to jump on to the bandwagon with its own gaming presence with its acquisition of Activision Blizzard at such a price.
When it comes to mobile gaming, Netflix too is a prominent, but smaller, competitor as it just launched two new gaming studios in Finland and California, although it has to be admitted that it hasn’t succeeded as much in enticing game lovers, which is why the path won’t be easy for Microsoft in competing with Apple and Google.
Microsoft has a undertaken a huge task as creating a new gaming space is not easy but can manage things out after acquiring Activision Blizzard because to shift people’s attention away from Google Play Store and App Store on smartphones depends largely on consumer behavior.
This is why Microsoft has to gauge the audience’s pulse and hopes to succeed by showcasing popular content as it feels that consumers will try out something new if they’re presented with well known options when it comes to mobile games.
There was a time when video games were an indelible part of our lives with different hues and varieties. Whether it was action, comedy, fantasy, superhero, there were many options for people that preferred a particular genre over the others.
The sheer volume of genres that the 80s and 90s generation could avail has to be seen to be believed but the most popular ones were Grand Theft Auto (GTA), San Andreas, Super Mario, Contra, Ninja Turtles, etc. to name a few.
Electronic Arts is a renowned video game company that has been in the business for nearly four decades and is often considered the pioneer of the home computer game industry of the early era, which managed the task of promoting programmers and designers for its games.
However, there is bad news in store for gaming lovers as Electronic Arts is planning to shut down the online components of several of its games in the next few months, which sadly includes many of the favourites of the millennial generation.
The complete list of games that will be shut down hasn’t been finalized as yet as there will be many more additions to it as 2023 draws closer but the company’s Online Services Database has already listed a couple of names on the website so that users are notified early.
List
The list of games include Army of Two: The 40th Day and Army of Two: The Devil’s Cartel, and Dragon Age Origins, which will be shut down by the end of October 2022 while the November list includes Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 (Xbox 360 and PS3), Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars, Mercenaries 2 (Xbox 360 and PS 3), and Onrush.
EA has finalized the 2023 list as well, which includes Mirror’s Edge, Shank 2, Gatling Gears, NBA Jam: On Fire Edition, etc., that will all be shut down in January of 2023. It is specifically sad for NBA Jam: On Fire Edition, which has achieved many accolades and awards that will become impossible to nab when the servers shut down.
It is quite hard to find a game that doesn’t have a multiplayer component, which is a term for gaming where everyone gathers around a single TV where either they play it in split-screen mode or share the same view about the game.
Conclusion
As mentioned, the above names aren’t the only games that EA plans to chop down as many players will have to endure the heartbreak of watching their favourite games face the music, which is quite sad to know but EA may bring up worthy substitutes in the near future to replace them.
Are you excited for Diwali? What are your plans for Dhanteras with the many tech offers that can be availed?
In Brief
This Diwali is arguably going to be the most festive one of all because all the tech giants seem to be catering to their consumer base and announcing the best discount offers that they can give.
Before Diwali, however, there is Dhanteras, which is a big festive occasion itself, which has not been ignored by any tech company be it Apple, Samsung, Nothing, and their ilk as they’ve come out with smartphone offers for the customers so that they can celebrate Diwali at a whole new level altogether.
With both the Dhanteras and Diwali offers, consumers can make the best use of these opportunities and get two for the price of one because offers for both festive seasons is quite affordable.
While there are many folks that have made their plans for Dhanteras, there are also some that are confused on what to buy during the festive season. The easiest option would be to invest in gold, given the occasion, which many people follow through on it most of the times.
But this option is not applicable for tech users and gadget aficionados as they want to do something different and want to buy their favourite gadgets at affordable prices. For them, purchasing a topnotch quality smartphone at an affordable price is far more preferable than investing gold and getting a high return of investment in due course.
Frankly speaking, they’re not entirely wrong because, like it or not, smartphones are much more valuable and quite useful in our daily lives than ornaments, gold coins, or jewelry.
In this day and age, losing your smartphone is akin to losing your right hand and it is virtually impossible to exist without them because it is no longer a mere convenience device for making and receiving calls or sending/receiving messages but a lot more.
Here are some of the best smartphone offers for Dhanteras that you can avail where all the important ones are mentioned because they’re such that nobody would want to miss out on it.
List
Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
When it comes to smartphones, it is hard to match up to Apple and this particular model is considered the gold standard for conventional options where you can get an exquisite design with regaling features at Rs.1,39,900 for a 128GB variant. It has a unique ProMotion display with a Dynamic Island, camera setups, and a golden coloured variant.
Google Pixel 7 Pro
This was launched in the first week of October 2022 and is quite an itineration that consumers can avail for Dhanteras, which is a preferable option for those who prefer Android smartphones and comes at a starting price of Rs.84,999, while its features include an AI Algorithm that is peerless when it comes to display, camera features, and a QUAD HD+ OLED display.
Nothing Phone (1)
This model is peerless in terms of brightness that comes with a semi-transparent back, glyph lights with a unique arrangement, while the design has symmetrical bezels with a shiny OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, 50MP rear cameras, Snapdragon 778G chipset, and Android 12 OS.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4
If you’re looking for a smartphone that rivals iPhone 14 Pro Max, this is it and there are many who vouch that Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is even better than iPhone 14 Pro. It comes with a 7.6 inch folding display that gives a tablet experience that can be shut and used as a ‘smaller’ 6.2 inch cover display with a 120Hz AMOLED display screen that is powered by Snapdragon 8 Gen 1+ chipset. It its starting price is Rs.154,999.
Realme is one of the most well known smartphone brands in the world as its devices are loved by one and all. The festive season of Diwali is just around the corner due to which all tech giants are making use of an opportunity to cater to their fanbase by giving out excellent discount offers on their devices.
Both Flipkart and Amazon had the Big Billion Days Sale and Great Indian Festival, respectively, during the Dussehra season, which was immensely successful as customers delighted in getting expensive devices and gadgets at ridiculously low offers, which meant they got to choose quality options at affordable prices.
Both e-commerce portals have done the same for Diwali as well due to which Realme too has come up with discount offers on their smartphones, which is sure to be welcomed by the general public.
Realme Festive Days Sale is a six day offer where Realme users can avail devices at a lower price than usual, and not just from Realme’s official website but also on Flipkart, Amazon, and other retail stores.
All the offers will be different on all the portals, which users can choose based on their preference because they’re extremely particular about price issues like, for example, a Flipkart offer could be affordable for some while others might want the device at a lesser price.
Tabular Form
The following tabular column lists all the offers on Realme Smartphones for the Diwali festive season where you have the devices’ model name, variant, portal offers, price, and other details.
AKAI India, a leading Consumer Electronics company continuing the Japanese legacy with widespread offerings in Television, Washing Machines, Air Conditioners, Air Purifiers, Home appliances, and other Consumer durables.
AKAI is looking for product expansion in the coming months says Anurag Sharma, Director – AKAI India , Hometech Digital Pvt in conversation with Divya Mohindroo , My Mobile India .
At first, we would like to know about AKAI in brief and also about the moto it stands for!
Akai is a consumer electronics and home appliances brand from Japan and it stands for its motto of providing pocket-friendly tech in electronics and home appliances to the Indian consumer.
We would like to know about the product portfolio that Akai is planning to expand in the Indian market!!
Our current product portfolio includes a range of LED TVs up to 65-inch 4k Washing machines, Air conditioners, and Home Audio products.
We plan to expand our portfolio in the above-mentioned categories.
India is a vast market with a wide range of consumers so, we would like to know your target consumers and will “Tier 2” be your main focus in metro cities?
The target audience is young Indian consumer who is looking at premium technology at honest pricing and the consumers are based in both metro and Tier 2.
Technology & Electronics industry is a massive industry with cut-throat competition, so we would like to know what is your current market share & what is your target in the coming 3 years.
Of course, the industry is massive, and competition is also cut-throat, but Akai has always stood by its motto of pocket-friendly tech which would always have enough space in the coming years. We would like to target 7-10 in each of our categories in next 5 years.
The Indian consumer market is very dense, so we would like to know your opinion on consumer electronic market growth in India and what size do you see it reaching by 2025?
The consumer market growth is primarily emanating from upward movement, meaning that consumer ownership across the country is seeking a movement and this is most profound as a lifestyle expression. The market is being pressurized with a desire for lifestyle enhancement but gets trapped in the category of economics and market pricing. This is then pushing the market to operate at MOP (market operating prices) which is very similar to mobile phones. So on one side is the MOP and on the other side is the availability of consumer finance schemes resulting in a healthy tug of war and this becomes even more interesting when the consumer seeks score over the Manufacturer’s wish to operate at MOP. For Lifestyle products at pocket-friendly pricing like Akai stands to gain.
Covid-19 changed a lot of things, so according to you how have the consumer buying patterns changed post-Covid and how is the market responding now?
Covid 19 has changed one major thing among consumers it has brought back his/ her focus back to their home. The consumer spending on households has grown so is the consumption of technology inside homes. We are looking at leveraging on currently the market is doing decently well.
Apart from it’s humongous size, India is also a country of festivals, so how do you perceive the festive season in 2022 and sales of the brand in the following year?
The current festive season is the first one after the 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic and has been doing extremely well for us. Our growth this year should be more than 60% over last year.
We would love to know about the product segments which are getting loved by Indians from Akai right now?
Our current portfolio of smart LED TVs and Home Audio and Washing Machine are being loved and appreciated a lot by the consumer.
Lastly, we would like to know what potential you see in the Indian market, what is the biggest challenge that you face, and what opportunities you see in India.
The potential in the Indian consumer durable market is humongous. We feel the next decade India will experience unprecedented growth in terms of its consumption and growth in the overall economy and infrastructure.
The biggest challenge as well as opportunity is to ensure that we continue to provide technology that makes the life of the consumer comfortable along with honest pricing.
