Apple launches iPhone 5S, 5C; eyes India & China

Apple has, for the first time, unveiled a cheaper smartphone, named the iPhone 5C. It has almost the same specifications as iPhone 5, which was launched as the company's flagship device last year, but in a plastic body.

The iPhone 5C (with contract in the US) is cheaper than all new iPhones launched till now, and is said to be targeted at emerging markets like India and China. With the launch of iPhone 5S, Apple has discontinued the iPhone 5 that was rolled out last year and served as the flagship model till now.

Apple also launched its pricey new iPhone 5S, which will take over from iPhone 5 as the latest flagship device of the company. It will be available in three colours - gold, white and black.

But the wow appeal usually associated with Apple's launches clearly seemed to be missing from today's event. Unlike in the past when iPhone's newer models turned slimmer, lighter, glitzier each year, Apple seemed to have reserved most of its attention to what lies inside the body this time.

However, in a bold move aimed to take on rivals Microsoft and Google, Apple also announced that it was making its premium productivity suite iWork, which can be downloaded free with iOS 7.



Under the hood of iPhone 5S
Unlike the iPhone 5C, this device is made using aluminium and is powered by the A7 processor. The A7 chip is the only one in the world to feature the 64-bit desktop-class architecture and is twice as fast as previous processors in performing tasks and rendering graphics.

"With up to twice the CPU and graphics performance, almost everything you do on iPhone 5s is faster and better than ever, from launching apps and editing photos to playing graphic-intensive games," claimed the company.

The new iPhone 5S has an 8MP camera, which comes with dual-LED flash. The camera's sensor is 15% larger than that of its predecessor and offers better low-light performance.

Apple claims that this phone's camera can take 20 photos in two seconds, features auto image stabilization and records 720p videos at 120 frames per second (which is the highest for any smartphone). 1080p videos are recorded at 30fps.

iPhone 5S also has an all-new M7 chip that tracks motion data without waking the A7 chip and interacts with health apps to give fitness data. However, Apple claimed the two-chip system does not affect battery life of the device, which offers 250 hours on standby and 10 hours of talk time on 3G networks.

At the launch, the company showcased the gaming prowess of the iPhone 5S, which supports OpenGL 3.0 standard. The new phone delivers more details and makes graphics more vivid.

Google had recently introduced the OpenGL 3.0 standard in Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean). It can render rich and complex visual effects, previously only possible on desktops and gaming consoles.

Apple has also introduced a new, hi-tech biometric feature called Touch ID, using which one can unlock the phone with the touch of a finger.

Setting up Touch ID to recognize your fingerprint is easy, and every time you use it, it gets better. The Touch ID sensor recognizes the touch of a finger so the sensor is only activated when needed, preserving battery life.

All fingerprint information is encrypted and stored on the chip itself. Touch ID can also be used as a secure way to approve purchases from the iTunes Store, App Store or iBooks Store.

"iPhone 5s is the most forward-thinking smartphone in the world, delivering desktop class architecture in the palm of your hand," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing.

"iPhone 5S sets a new standard for smartphones, packed into its beautiful and refined design are breakthrough features that really matter to people," Schiller claimed.

Pricey proposition
iPhone 5S ( with contract) will be available in the US for a suggested retail price of $199 for the 16GB model, $299 for the 32GB model and $399 for the 64GB model. The 16, 32 and 64GB unlocked variants have been priced in the US at a hefty $649, $749 and $849, respectively. This is the same pricing format followed by Apple for previous iPhones.

In first phase, iPhone 5S will start retailing in the US, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore and the UK on September 20. A new iPhone 4S 8GB model will also be available for free on contract.

Cooking old wine for Asia
Apple's move to launch a cheaper version is clearly aimed at boosting penetration in key Asian countries like India, China and Japan. However, many may be disappointed as iPhone 5C comes across as old wine in new bottle since it has received hardly any hardware update.

Instead of cutting the prices of its older models, Apple has adopted a different strategy this time. "In the past, we've lowered the price of the current iPhone, making it accessible to more people. This year, we're not going to do that," said Schiller teasingly.

"The business has become so large that this year we're going to replace the iPhone 5, and we're going to replace it with not one, but two new designs," he reiterated.

Of the two devices launched tonight, this is how Schiller described the cheaper variant made of polycarbonate: "iPhone 5C is beautifully, unapologetically plastic."

iPhone 5C will come in two variants and will have two-year contracts. It will come in five colours - green, grey, light blue, peach, and yellow.

It has a 4-inch screen and comes with Apple's A6 processor, which power the now-discontinued iPhone 5. This new cheaper iPhone has an 8MP camera with a five-element lens, similar to the one used in iPhone 5. Connectivity options in the new handset include 4G LTE, Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi.

The 16GB variant of this smartphone will cost $99 on contract, while the 32GB version has been priced at $199. The unlocked 16 and 32GB versions of the iPhone 5C have been priced at $549 and $649, respectively. The company also announced cases in six colours for this handset, which will cost $29 a piece.

iWork now offered free
Earlier, Apple CEO Tim Cook kicked off the launch event at Apple headquarters in Califiornia, US, with an introduction of the company's new iOS 7 operating system. Cook surprised everyone by announcing that Apple was making available free with the new iOS 7 five of its premium paid productivity software apps such as iPhoto, iMovie. Pages, Numbers and Keynote are collectively known as iWork suite. The move clearly seems aimed at taking on Microsoft Windows Mobile and Android devices.

iOS comes on September 18
iOS7 will be available for downloads from September 18, which is in contrast to Apple's past practice of rolling out the iOS update on the day of unveiling the latest iPhone. The delay could disappoint Apple aficionados, as also the fact that iOS 7 updates won't apply to many older generation devices.

It is a bad news for many existing owners of Apple's mobile devices such as iPhones and iPad. The older generation devices won't get the iOS 7 update which will apply only to iPhone 4 and 5, iPad 2 and 3, iPad mini, and the 5th-gen iPod touch. This means the owners of the iPhone 3GS and iPad 1 would be left high and dry.

The iOS 7 which will come pre-loaded on the two new iPhones, will feature new icons and ringtones; several new Siri features (including a male voice option); redesigned search and Safari browser; new multitasking layout in a 3D look; new camera features, including Sqaure (for Instagram photos) and better segregation of images as per location, occasion and time.

It will also have a new Control Center, besides Notification Center that can be opened even on a locked screen by merely swiping down from top to bottom of the screen. Other features include improved multitasking, AirDrop and iTunes Radio.

iOS and Android evenly poised
With Apple shipping its 700 millionth iOS device next month, it will become the most popular mobile operating system in the world. claimed Cook.

Interestingly, Apple and rival Google are neck to neck vis-a-vis app downloads. Apple's App Store had 900,000 apps and 50 billion total downloads according to the company's announcement made at the time of launch of iOS 7 on June 10. Google's Android had 1 million apps and same 50 billion downloads as announced by the company while launching the Android 4.3 on July 24.

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HP launches Big Data platform HAVEn

Aiming to expand its Big Data analytics portfolio, Hewlett-Packard has launched the platform 'HAVEn', designed to enable organizations to gain better insight into their data and deliver real-time outcomes. 

"HAVEn, is a big data analytics platform, which leverages HP's analytics software, hardware and services to create the next generation of big data-ready analytics applications and solutions," HP software & solutions country director Amit Chatterjee told reporters at the launch event here. 

Without disclosing any number, he said "big data market in India is currently $200 million and is expected to reach $1 billion by 2015." 

Chatterjee said: "According to research commissioned on behalf of HP, nearly half (47%) of companies surveyed in India will spend at least 10% of their IT innovation budget on Big Data this year." 

"More than one-third of the organizations surveyed also believe strongly that Big Data is the largest competitive differentiator for their organization. However, the study found that more than 10% of these organizations have failed with a Big Data initiative they had implemented," he added. 

HP also is expanding its Big Data portfolio with new capabilities that help clients build and operate their Big Data solutions, with the launch of HP Operations Analytics. 

"It is the first integrated big data analytics solution built on HAVEn, which delivers insight into all aspects of IT operations, so organizations can ensure quality service levels," Chatterjee said. 

The company also announced two additional products to help on the journey to Big Data - HP Vertica Community Edition and HP Autonomy Legacy Data Cleanup.

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Nissan launches Nismo smartwatch

Nissan has reportedly launched asmartwatch that monitors performance of both the vehicle and the driver.

The smartwatch called Nissan Nismo measures the wearer's heart rate, temperature and other biometrics along with tracking the car's performance, including average, speeds and fuel consumption.

According to the BBC, experts believe the watch could be an important step towards greater connectivity in cars as connectivity is the new battleground for car manufacturers.

The Nismo watch can be connected to the car's on-board computer system and provide data on vehicle performance and users can also receive tailored messages from Nissan through the gadget.

Marketing communications general manager at Nissan, Europe, Gareth Dunsmore said that wearable technology is fast becoming the next big thing and Nissan wants to take advantage of this innovative technology.

Editor-in-chief of What Car?, Chas Hallett, said that car connected watched could be even more useful than those offered by consumer electronic firms.

The Nissan Nismo smartwatch comes in three colours, can be controlled by two buttons on the screen and has a battery life of around a week, the report added.

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WikiLeaks server for sale on eBay

The server, which hosted WikiLeaks during its release of classified US State Department documents, is now on sale on eBay for a price of $25,200, as of Monday. 

The server belongs to the Swedish Internet service provider Bahnhof, which was rented out to WikiLeaks in 2010. 

Wikileaks used that hardware to serve the so-called 'Collateral Murder' video, 2007 footage of US helicopter crew gunning down a group of men in Baghdad, including two Reuters journalists, apart from the Guantanamo Files, CNN reports. 

Bahnhof CEO Jon Karlung said that all funds raised from the sale of the server will be donated to organizations in support of widening transparency, including Reporters Without Borders and the 5th of July Foundation. 

Karlung said that the server is a historical machine, a symbol for the freedom of internet and will be remembered forever. 

However, the buyers would have the 35 pounds of hardware wiped clean of any of the previous data through the 'Gutmann data sanitation method', which prevents data recovery by overwriting the hard drive 35 times. 

Karlung hopes to raise at least $50,000 by the time the bidding ends this week. 

The server, still in pristine condition, has survived numerous attempts by outside hackers trying to disrupt or cripple the server via denial-of-service attacks. 

Karlung further said that in light of the NSA scandal, the server should not go in the hands of the security agencies but to someone who protects the values of freedom of speech and the right for having one's own opinion, the report added.

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Amazon denies report of free smartphone

Amazon has quashed a report which suggested that the company may be in the process of bringing out a free smartphone to the market. As per a recent report by former Wall Street Journal reporter Jessica Lessin, the online retailer was planning to bring out their long planned smartphone for free. Now, as per a new report by the same journalist, a spokesperson from Amazon has stated that there would be no smartphone from the company this year, and the phone at any point of time would not be free.

Amazon, which had made a foray into hardware with Kindle series of tablets and e-readers, has long been rumoured to be working on a smartphone.

The report about the free smartphone had raised eyebrows in tech circles since it can drastically alter marketing tactics for major manufacturers. In most markets, companies tie up with telecom operators to offer smartphones at subsidized rates.

The new report states that while the Amazon spokesperson refused to elaborate on his comment, he made it categorically clear that any smartphone from the company would not be available for free. There was also no word on the proposed pricing arrangements or discounts it may offer while marketing its alleged smartphone.

Amazon sells its Kindle range of tablets at cost, thus earning no profit from their sales. However, the company earns money via the apps, music, videos and books that users buy from these tablets.

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Continental teams up with IBM for self-driving cars

German auto parts maker Continental has announced that it is teaming up with US software giant IBM to develop systems that will eventually enable cars to drive by themselves.

Continental and IBM "want to jointly develop mobile connected vehicle solutions for automakers around the world," the German group's chief executive Elmar Degenhart told reporters on the sidelines of the IAA auto show which opens here this week.

The technology was aimed ultimately at "making automated driving a reality," he said.

There has been speculation in recent weeks that Continental was mulling cooperation with Google, which has long been working on driverless cars.

But Degenhart refused to be drawn into commenting on the rumours. "We're in touch with many companies," he said.

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Olympus bets big on mirrorless cameras

To stem the red ink on its loss-making camera division, Olympus has decided to rely on a format that so far has been a flop outside of its home turf in Japan. 

The company on Tuesday released the "OM-D E-M1", a mirrorless model Olympus says is the first of its kind to compete on quality with traditional single-lens reflex (SLR) cameras. 

Olympus is now hoping the E-M1, priced for the pro market at 145,000 yen ($1,500) for the body alone, will help it boost mirrorless and SLR sales by 24% to 7.3 million units to allow its camera business to finally break even for the first time in four years. 

The new model is the successor to Olympus's E-5, its last flagship SLR released in 2010. Executives are saying there are no current plans to develop more SLRs and the new camera likely signals the company's exit from a market that is dominated by Canon and Nikon. 

The E-M1 illustrates Olympus's dedication to the mirrorless format, heralded at its inception as a happy marriage between the size of a compact camera and the picture quality of an SLR. But the format has so far failed to connect with consumers outside of Japan, with most seeing it as an awkward compromise. 

Most consumers prefer smartphones for taking snaps when weight is an issue and opt for pricier SLRs when quality is a priority. 

Research company IDC originally projected the mirrorless segment to grow 31% in 2013 and to more than triple by 2017. But dramatically poor sales earlier this year prompted the company to change its forecast to a 1.2% drop this year and expansion of just 24% by 2017. 

Olympus admits that its overseas marketing has been lacking so far. 

"This is the kind of product that we have to carefully explain to individual consumers. It's not just a point-and-shoot that you can leave out on the shop floor and it sells by itself," Olympus President Hiroyuki Sasa said at the product launch in Tokyo. 

Tech bloggers who had been invited to test-drive the E-M1 in advance were effusive about the camera on Tuesday, praising its retro design, image quality and compatibility with all Olympus lenses, a first for the company's mirrorless models. 

But some criticized the camera's sluggish autofocus, a fault that has plagued mirrorless models and disqualified it for sports photography, thus barring it from a chunk of the pro market that Olympus is attempting to capture. 

Last year, the company's camera division lost 23.1 billion yen ($231.99 million) as compact camera sales shrank by a third and it shifted 6 percent fewer interchangeable lens camera sales, mostly mirrorless. 

In May, the company announced a plan to trim its camera division by cutting 30% of staff and whittling its production base to two factories from five. The camera division accounts for 15% of sales and is dwarfed by its profitable endoscopy business.

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Apps to automatically delete Facebook, Twitter posts

The Snapchat app popularized the concept of sending photos and videos that self-destruct in minutes and new apps do the same for posts on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. 

Smartphones and mobile apps have made sharing photos faster and easier than ever, but privacy has become a growing concern. Designers have created new apps because they said people want to control who sees their content and for how long on social media sites. 

"Most of these ephemeral media apps have been focused on private messaging. But this is more to do with control and cleaning things up so that the average user can't see what you've posted in the past on social networks," said Pierre Legrain, a developer of Spirit for Twitter, an app that can auto-delete Twitter posts. 

Secret.li, an iPhone app, lets users can take a photo with their iPhone's camera and post it to Facebook knowing it will be automatically deleted an hour, day, or week after it is posted. 

"Publishing is so easy but privacy is so obscure," said Deepak Touwari, co-founder of Secret.li, based in Lausanne, Switzerland. 

After taking a photo with the app, users can decide who they want to share it with and for how long. Recipients will see a scrambled or hidden version of the photo, which they can open and view completely in the Secret.li Facebook or iPhone apps. After the photo is deleted it also disappears from Facebook and Secret.li. 

"We see it more like a photo shedder application," said Touwari, adding the motivation behind the app was privacy. 

"(Social networks) are great keepers of memory but very poor keepers of context," he said. 

Another app for iPhone and Android, called Facebook Poke, which was created by Facebook, allows users to send their friends messages, photos and videos and decide how long they can view it. 

Spirit, a web app for Twitter released last week, lets members of the micro-blogging site add a hashtag to their tweet so it will auto-delete. Users authorize their account and add hashtags such as "#30m" or "#10d", which will delete their tweets after 30 minutes and 10 days respectively. 

Legrain, a former Twitter employee based in Palo Alto, California, said the motivation for the app was privacy. Part of the value of Spirit for Twitter, he added, is its ability to filter out content that loses accuracy or relevancy over time. 

"If you're a meteorologist or weatherman tweeting about an unfolding hurricane, you want the info on Twitter to be as relevant and accurate so tweets from half an hour (ago) shouldn't be there," he explained. 

Legrain attributes the popularity of the apps to the growing privacy concerns among consumers. 

"With the ongoing privacy scares, people are thinking about what they put out there now and looking for ways to have more control," he said. "People now feel they have slightly more control than they had yesterday," he added.

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‘Reach out to consumers via mobile coupons‘

Since selling his 26% stake in Dentsu India in 2011, adman Sandeep Goyal, 50, has taken the CAT exam, launched a food channel on TV and floated Mogae Media for venturing into the nascent mobile marketing and advertising sector. In a conversation with Gulveen Aulakh , Goyal said his company is inventing ways to monetise the mobile phone. Edited excerpts: 

How does mobile couponing work?

Companies spend large amounts on TV and print media marketing campaigns to prompt customers to buy a product. Today , it can be done far easier and efficiently using mobile phones. This is how it works: A brand sends out coupons to consumers using a telecom operator's database. The coupon can be sent to all consumers in a specific geography, say NCR or just Gurgaon, or while the consumer is entering a mall using a geofenced solution that serves the coupon in real time. The consumer then takes coupon to the merchant and gets a discount. The MoCoupon system reimburses the merchant on the brandowner's behalf via the mobile money account. 

But what if one doesn't have data connection?

You don't need a smartphone or data connection. Mobile coupons can be sent as an SMS or USSD with an alpha-numeric code that merchants can authenticate. 

What benefits do corporates see in associating with mobile couponing?

MoCoupons allows brands to access consumer base of the mobile phone company and target consumersby geography, time-of-day , location, ARPU , handset and a host of other tags. We have signed up 1,500 grocers in Delhi, which will swell to 2,500-3 ,000 by end September across NCR. 

How will customers benefit from couponing?

Customers (who are not on DND) will receive offers or discounts apart from the ones offered to other customers. Recently, a pizza brand used MoCoupons in a select business district of Gurgaon where customers got a dessert free with the pizza. We are working with a large MNC bank for a promotion at Palladium Mall, Mumbai, where the bank's credit card users get an extra 10%-20 % off at 40 participating outlets.

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Wipro launches IT solutions for aviation sector

Wipro has launched a range of information technology (IT) products for the aviation industry. The aviation IT product portfolio comprises of two categories of solutions: enterprise and mobility solutions. 

Enterprise solutions include products for crew management, route profitability analysis, loyalty management, inflight catering, aircraft maintenance planning and crisis management.Mobility solutions include products for pilots, cabin crew and flight dispatchers. 

The extensive product portfolio aims to address critical airline business functions, which have a direct bearing on service quality, operational efficiency and strategic decision making. These products provide competitive advantage to an airline through comprehensive functional features complimented by open technology platforms. Functionally rich and user-friendly, the innovative and technologically advanced products are expected to fill gaps in the IT applications portfolios of many airlines and provide an edge over competitors. 

In September 2012, Wipro entered into a strategic partnership with Qatar Airways to research and develop the portfolio by bringing together Wipro's expertise in application management and support, and Qatar Airways' aviation systems' expertise, resulting in new software products for the airline industry. 

"These solutions have played a key role in enhancing customer service & operational efficiency of Qatar Airways," said Akbar Al Baker, CEO of Qatar Airways. "Now these already proven solutions can be brought to market and deployed in a variety of means such as licensing or Software as a Service," he added. 

Anand Sankaran, senior VP and business head of global infrastructure services & Wipro Infotech said, "We are developing new IPs with Qatar Airways which will augment our available suite of solutions. This is a very unique partnership with Qatar Airways where we are marketing their existing software products and leveraging the core competencies of both organizations to create tangible value to other airlines. We believe that this portfolio of products will transform the Airline industry and help them do business better."

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LG, Samsung, Panasonic & Sony bet big on B2B space

Consumer electronic giants such as Samsung, LG, Sony and Panasonic plan to focus heavily on the business-to-business space to insulate their growth from economic slowdown and poor consumer spending. While Samsung and Panasonic are setting up separate divisions for the B2B business, Sony is lining up major plans for the business. 

These companies plan to foray into several newer businesses like healthcare, professional display, automotive technology, education, security and energy solutions. 

"The professional business can become a saving grace in the current economic situation in India," says Sony India managing director Kenichiro Hibi. 

"While the B2B business too tends to slow down during a tough economic scenario like now, but the market is huge and hence we can expect faster growth rate than in consumer business," he said. 

Hibi said Sony India has recently merged the B2B business , which used to work independently in India, with itself to give strategic focus. At present, Sony is present in a small way in segments like medical monitors, printers and projectors, but Hibi said he intends to grow it significantly. 

The Rs 40,000 crore TV and home appliances industry is facing a tough time due to repetitive price hike led by an increase in commodity cost and weakening rupee, and consumers cutting down on aspirational spend. Last week, the companies increased prices by up to 10% for the third time this year. While growth in the home appliances segment comprising washing machine, refrigerators, microwave oven and airconditioners is flat, the television segment is growing at around 8-10 %. 

Panasonic India managing director Manish Sharma said the B2B business will help the company to expand margins and lead to better profitability. 

"The costs are lower as there are no advertisement budgets and distribution expense in this segment," Sharma said. Panasonic plans to foray into product segments like automotive technology, energy solutions , security and surveillance, and IT solutions based on cloud computing. The country's largest consumer technology firm, Samsung, has integrated the B2B team across its various verticals.

"The addressable market for the various product categories in B2B are expected to grow by 17-59 % CAGR for the next 4 years, making it an important growth segment for us," Samsung India senior VP ( enterprise business) Sameer Garde said.

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Nokia, Mercedes-Benz ink digital map deal

 Nokia has said it will cooperate with Daimler's Mercedes-Benz car division to create and develop digital smart maps. 

Finland-based Nokia says its mapping and location services unit, HERE, and Mercedes will initially provide 3D maps for the Mannheim to Pforzheim route in Germany for cars connected to a computing cloud. 

Nokia on Tuesday said at the Frankfurt Auto Show that connecting cars to a cloud is "one of the biggest opportunities for the automotive industry today." 

The HERE mapping unit is one of the three businesses remaining in Nokia's corporate umbrella following last week's deal to sell its mobile phone division to Microsoft.

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