n-gage, World’s First 360 Degree Lifestyle Chat-app launched in India

n-gage, world’s first 360 degree lifestyle chat-app was launched today in India. This is the most advanced and latest messaging app which comes with innovative features allowing its users to enjoy rich messaging across any other messenger apps. n-gage aims to bridge the gap and connect people, make new friends and learn new things by making it available to all, regardless of whether users have a smartphone or not, and without compromising on features.

“We are delighted to announce the launch of n-gage in India. With our efforts to enrich everyday communication, we decided to develop a360 degree lifestyle chat application. This app will enable Indians to experience rich personalised messaging, file sharing and have video calls in a way never seen before. Through this app, we envisage to change the way people communicate.”says Mr. Ajit Patel, CEO & Founder of n-gage.

 

n-gage facilitates a rich messaging experience for its users with various fun and interactive features like ‘n-Cards’, ‘n-Stickers’, ‘Chat Makeovers’ and ‘Doodle Plus’. Unique features of this app include n-Stickers, which allow the user to express exactly what is on their mind. Users can create groups with up to 300 participants from their contact lists to enjoy multiple conversations under one group. Thirdly, language is no longer a constraint as n-gage enables users to communicate in over 45 languages with ‘Translate’ feature.
n-gage aims to educate the user, on how they can maintain a good and healthy lifestyle, without compromising on all the fun. Hence, the feature ‘Know’ an entire section of articles and various health tips to keep them updated with the latest lifestyle trends and help them stay in the pink of health.

Unlike like other similar apps, as soon as the user joins, they can start sending rich personalised messages and have video calls with family and friends who do not have n-gage. Through features like n-Stickers, n-Cards, Chat Makeovers and more, users will be able to enhance their messages with rich personalisation. n-gage doesn’t stop here; it enables chats to stay private, with the app offering an expansive range of privacy features to suit individual’s needs. With features like ‘Schedule’, users will never miss out on an occasion or event. n-gage contains unique features like ‘Know’, which enables one to improve knowledge on lifestyle and health.

n-gage enables its users to connect with family and friends from around the world in over 45 languages. Users can share messages, doodles, and attachments on various other social platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Emails and SMS, without requiring the other person to download the app.Also unlike other group chats, with n-gage users can create groups with up to 300 participants from their contact lists to enjoy multiple conversations under one group. With this, n-gage users can share multimedia files and even exit several group conversations without leaving the group.
n-gage is further putting in, continuous efforts to add features and give an enriching experience to its users while communicating with friends and family. n-gage is available for use on Android, iOS, PC and tablet.

Twitter now lets anyone request a verified account,announces application process for verified accounts

Twitter is finally letting general get their accounts verified with a blue tick badge. Till now, Twitter used to approach a user and verify his or her account. Today the company has started giving anyone access to the blue tick by simply letting them fill an online form.  

The microblogging firm in a blog post adds that " Verified accounts on Twitter allow people to identify key individuals and organizations on Twitter as authentic, and are denoted by a blue badge icon. An account may be verified if it is determined to be of public interest. Typically this includes accounts maintained by public figures and organizations in music, TV, film, fashion, government, politics, religion, journalism, media, sports, business, and other key interest areas".

We want to make it even easier for people to find creators and influencers on Twitter so it makes sense for us to let people apply for verification," said Tina Bhatnagar, Twitter's vice president of user services, said in a statement."We hope opening up this application process results in more people finding great, high-quality accounts to follow, and for these creators and influencers to connect with a broader audience."

To fill the form to verify your Twitter account,you can visit the company's dedicated support page . The one-page form will ask you to confirm the account that has to be verified and why it should be verified. However, to be able to fill the form users would need to have a verified mobile number, confirmed email address, a bio, a profile photo along with a header photo reflecting the person, a birthday, a link to a website other than twitter, and tweets set as 'Public' in privacy settings.

Once the first few steps are completed,twitter also ask users to "scan and upload a legible copy of government-issued ID to confirm their identity." Once the form has been completed, Twitter will reply via email. If the request is denied, users can again submit the form 30 days after receiving the email from the company.

The main goal with this update is to help more people find great, high-quality accounts to follow, and for creators and influencers - no matter where they are in the world - to easily connect with a broader audience

 

Google brings Art and Culture one step closer to Indians!

Enhancing the experience for all art and culture enthusiasts, Google today announced the launch of its new Google Cultural Institute App and website. The new tools will help art lovers in India and across the globe discover works and artifacts from thousands of museums present in more than 70 countries:

.Search for anything, from the history of the Nalanda University, India’s newest World Heritage Site, to panoramic imagery of its excavation.

·Scroll through art by time -  discover artworks by Abanindranath Tagore, one of the founders of modern Indian painting.

·Browse by color and learn about how Amrita Sher-Gil’s palette changed through her journeys between India and Europe.

·Find a new fascinating story to discover every day - today it’s 9 powerful men in heels

Duncan Osborn, Product Manager, Google Cultural Institute said, “We are sure people want to see some of the artworks in real life too—and the Google Arts & Culture app is here to help. The app helps art lovers take a walk through these famous museums and artifacts from world over offering them a rich immersive experience.”

Further, making India’s rich cultural heritage come live,  Google Cardboard, gives users the opportunity to take a virtual tour of the Sanskriti Museum, established in 1978, a home to one of the largest collections of Indian art and craft. You can also subscribe to the new Google Arts & Culture YouTube channel, where you’ll find original content dedicated to culture, hosted by YouTubers.

Gida launches its innovative Yoky tag to help you recover your prized possessions

Ever forgot your phone at the coffee shop? Or couldn’t find your keys just when you were going out? Ever wished for a magical device that could help you track your things? Gida’s new gadget, Yoky Tag, can now do that for you.

 

Never lose your things

It is a small wireless tag that you can attach to your valuables like keys, wallet or anything you like and track them with your smartphone. With the Yoky tag, you can find your things using your smartphone, and even find your phone by shaking the tag thrice. What’s more, it even alerts you before you lose your phone or things – the Yoky Tag will beep loudly if you are about to leave behind your phone, whilst the phone will similarly alert you if you are leaving behind the item tagged with Yoky.

 
How it works

The Yoky Tag works by maintaining a wireless link with the smartphone, using Bluetooth Low Energy. When the link is active, you can find the phone or tag and when the link breaks, the phone and the tag raise an alert. While the Yoky Tag requires Bluetooth to be turned on all the time, one need not worry about negative impact on the phone’s battery. Bluetooth 4.0+ is extremely power efficient, and Yoky uses it for extremely short durations (unlike music) typically resulting in <1% battery usage over 24 hours.

While the concept of such trackers has existed since 2010, what makes Yoky Tag unique is its ability to be there only when you need it. For 99% of the time, it’s a small inconspicuous device attached to your things that comes to life only you leave something behind. It doesn’t need to be charged as it comes with a replaceable battery that lasts for a year, and you don’t need to worry about it getting wet either. It also has safe locations, which ensures you don’t get irritated with alerts when moving around at home or at your office. Most importantly, the Yoky Tag integrates software and hardware optimisations to ensure almost zero impact on your phone’s battery.

 
Fitness tracker built in

If you carry your keys or wallet with you all the time, in addition to helping you keep track of them, the Yoky Tag also acts as a fitness tracker. It accurately measures your steps and estimated distance and calories. What differentiate Yoky Tag from other fitness trackers are its advanced algorithms that does not mistake car rides, bike rides or flights for steps, which is a real challenge with current fitness trackers in Indian conditions. It doesn’t need to be connected to the phone to measure steps, or require repeated charging, and also offers a simple interface designed for the casual users.

 
Key Specifications

The device has a maximum range of 150 feet, and works on smartphones with Bluetooth 4+ and iOS 8+ or Android 4.3+. It has a built-in 32-bit ARM cortex SoC, a 500mAh replaceable battery that lasts for at least 12 months, and 3-axis high precision accelerometer. The Yoky Tag app is available for free, and can connect up to 8 tags at any time.

The Yoky Tag retails at Rs. 999 including taxes and shipping, and is currently available on www.yoky.io

 

LeEco India screens the Montreux Jazz Festival 2016 curated performances in presence of Gino Banks

LeEco the global internet and technology company hosted a special screening of curated performances from te Montreux Jazz Festival today in presence of GINO BANKS. It included performances by some of the prolific jazz musicians like Randy Weston, John Mclaughlin & the 4th Dimension that included Ranjit Barot, Aruan Ortiz Trio, Alina Engibaryan, MOderat and FKG. Gino Banks along with his musician friends was enthralled by the acts. LeEco consumers can live stream the performances of the fest which is in its 50th year starting July 4, 2016. This is one of the 50 plus concerts that LeEco smartphone members get access to as part of the unique membership program of SUPERTAINMENT.

Commenting on this association, Debashish Ghosh, COO Content LeEco India said, “We recently partnered with IIFA 2016 and handpicked two of our lucky members to be part of the IIFA celebration. This was an exclusive offer to our LeEco members. We understand the demand for diverse and genre specific content that our audiences have - and are committed to providing the same. Our association with Montreux Jazz Festival is of course targeting the niche Jazz music aficionados. Similarly, our other Music concert associations - that are streamed in future will cater to other genres - ranging from Rock to Fusion to Blues to Jazz - basically covering all forms of music - but exclusive to only our Members. For the duration of Montreux Jazz Festival our members will have the opportunity to access over live streaming, some of the best know Jazz musicians from across the globe. LeEco believes that such exclusive Content, Experience and Services (more details will be revealed in future) will ultimately drive consumer attention and engagement in our Ecosystem of Products and Services. And this will be the differentiator tomorrow.”

LeEco has tied up with Eros Now and YuppTV, through its platforms - Levidi and LIVE. For music fans, LeMusic - our free Music App - will be powered by Hungama and also adding other music sources to create a vast catalogue music across genres. Users will have access to more than 2 million songs with lossless audio, over 4 million songs in total, 3000 plus movies, 50 plus Big Ticket International Live Concerts, 100 plus premium live channels, exclusive Live Streaming of Major Entertainment Events and Music Concerts Worldwide along with 7500 plus hours of world class entertainment. This amazing SUPERTAINMENT library worth Rs. 4,990 per year - and is being offered bundled with the Le 2 and Le Max2 - as an initial offer. 

The upcoming line-up for live streaming from the festival is:

Date	Performer	Indian live streaming time
8/7/2016	Quincy Jones	11:30 pm
9/7/2016	Robben Ford	1:00 am
11/7/2016	Christian Scott	11:30 pm
12/7/2016	Liro Rantala & Ulf Wakenius	11:30pm
14/7/2016	Ernest Ranglin & Friends	1:00 am
15/7/2016	Francois Linderman	11:30 pm
16/7/2016	Harold Lopez – Nuss Trio	11:30 pm
16/7/2016	Lagrene, Farao, Willis, White	1:00 am
17/7/2016	Volcan	1:00 am

New Google Maps features help you plan your next road trip

Planning road trips in India just became a little easier. With the latest update on Google Maps on Android (coming soon to iOS), now you can plan your road trip with multi-stop directions.

Just open the app, enter a destination, tap the corner menu, and then click “Add stop”. To rearrange the order of your stops, tap and hold the three dot menu to the left of “Add stop” and drag it to the position you want – you can even search for types of places like petrol pumps, ATMs or restaurants like you normally search. You can add as many stops as like and once you’re done, tap “Finished” and your multi-stop routing is complete. When you enter navigation mode you’ll have the same seamless driving experience you’re used to, whether you’re running errands or hoping beaches in Goa.

 A lot of the fun of traveling is the memories created while exploring new places with friends, family or even solo. Pictures are a traditional way to remember those moments, but now with “Your Timeline”, users on Android can preserve their travel memories and info in a new way. Google Maps users that have the Location History enabled can open Your Timeline, select a date from their recent vacation or everyday life and add notes to help remember what they did that day—or save important notes for later.

Sanket Gupta, Product Manager, Google Maps, said, “No matter where your travels take you this monsoon season and beyond, these new Google Maps features will get you there and help keep track of all the memories you make along the way.”

IndusInd Bank launches new Ad Campaign on innovative ‘Fingerprint Banking’

IndusInd Bank has launched an integrated advertising campaign to unveil its innovative service ‘Fingerprint Banking’. IndusInd Bank is the first bank in the country to launch this service where customers can do end-to-end banking transactions on its Mobile Banking app ‘IndusMobile’, by using just their fingerprint. The campaign features Farhan Akhtar, brand endorser for IndusInd Bank and multitalented actor Boman Irani.

‘Fingerprint Banking’ service has been launched after studying consumer behavior & insights on remembering complicated & lengthy passwords. It was found that customers tend to forget their passwords and resetting them again was a lot of trouble. With fingerprint banking, consumers can afford to forget passwords forever.

Apart from fingerprint, the mobile banking App also has functionality of ‘Swipe Pattern’ which can be set as a security identifier to conduct mobile banking transactions.This ensures that customers across all smart phone devices can do their banking transactions seamlessly without entering passwords.

Launching the campaign, Mr. Sumant Kathpalia, Head – Consumer Banking, IndusInd Bank said, “This advertising campaign from IndusInd Bank embodies a blend of strong consumer insight and interesting slice of life situations with subtle humor. The launch of this service has further strengthened the core brand philosophy of Responsive Innovation. We are glad that Bollywood’s two seasoned actors have associated with us and have enhanced the effectiveness of this ad campaign”.

Mr. Ankur Suman, Principal Consultant & Creative Head, RK Swamy BBDO commented “As always, IndusInd Bank has come up with yet another unique, differentiated service. So the communication needs to be potent enough to create the right degree of buzz amongst consumers.While we have demonstrated the convenience of Fingerprint Banking clearly, we have retained the zippy energy and humour that have given the brand’s communication a distinguished identity over the years”.

IndusInd Bank has adopted a well synergized multimedia media approach for this campaign. While TV will be the lead medium of the campaign, effective digital media will engage and connect with the digital savvy audience.  Other mediums will also be used along with the key mediums in order to create a ‘surround sound’ of the communication. The estimated media spends of the ad campaign is approximately Rs. 15 crores.

In recent past, IndusInd Bank has launched a host of innovative services like Video Branch, My Account My Number, Choice Money ATMs, Check-on-cheque, Cash-on-Mobile, Direct Connect and Quick Redeem Service.  

All these unique services have been widely publicised and are being well appreciated & used by the Indian consumers.

 

 

Google launches feature packed ‘Gboard’ keyboard for iPhone users in India

Google today announced the  launch of its feature packed ‘Gboard’ keyboard for iPhone users in India. This new app for iPhone that lets iPhone users search and send information, GIFs, emojis and more, right from their keyboard.

  

Rajan Patel, Principal Engineer, Google said “Searching and sending stuff from  iPhone shouldn’t be that difficult with Gboard. Users  can now search and send all kinds of things—restaurant info, flight times, news articles—right from keyboard. Anything users search on Google, you can search with Gboard. Results appear as cards with the key information front and center, such as the phone number, ratings and hours. With one tap, users can send it to their friends and keep the conversation going”.

                                                                                                             

 

Gboard allows users to search for more than just Google search results. Instead of scrolling to find or , search for “dancer” and find that emoji you were looking for instantly. Even better—you can search for the perfect GIF to show people how you’re really feeling.

                                                Emoji search

 

GIF search

 

 

Finally, Gboard has Glide Typing, which lets you type words by sliding your finger from key to key instead of tapping—so everything you do is just a little bit faster

 

Google announces Certified Developer Agency Program

As a part of the Google Developers Agency Program, which was launched in December 2015, Google has also established a new certified Agency Developer Program  at a Developer event in Mountain View, California. The Agency Program is an effort by Google’s Developer Relations team to work closely with development agencies around the world and help them build high quality user experiences. It includes providing agencies with personalized training through local events and hangouts, dedicated content, priority support from product and developer relations teams, and early access to upcoming developer products.

 

“We at Google understand the impact these agencies have on the app ecosystem globally”, said David McLaughlin, who leads the Ecosystem Team in Google Developer Platform Group. “Each agency is responsible for several app releases a year. The more streamlined we can make the experience of developing applications for them, the more high quality apps are available on devices for everyone”

 

Having worked with various agencies for several months, the Agency Program. The Agency Program will make it easier for clients who’re looking to hire an agency to make an informed decision while also pushing the entire development agency ecosystem to improve.

 

“Certification for agencies is something we had in mind right from a year ago when we began our pilot. In this time, we have seen expansive growth, with our partners growing from 26 to 54” says Uttam Tripathi who is a Global Lead for Developer Agencies & Partner Program at Google. “We are excited about the impact we can have through this Program, and look forward to further enabling our Partners over the coming months.”

 

        Here is the first set of certified agencies from India

 

             1.       Mutual Mobile(http://www.mutualmobile.com/)

 

        

 

           2.       Cognitive Clouds(http://www.cognitiveclouds.com/)

 

           

 

           3.       Techjini(http://www.techjini.com/)

 

          

 

          4.       PurpleTalk(http://www.purpletalk.com/)

 

          

 

         5.       Divum(http://divum.in/)

 

          

 

Instagram Feature Review in Blogmint

Blogmint is Asia's leading automated platform that connects brands and Influencers.Blogmint helps brands identify and engage targeted influencers to create powerful social and media content.Blogmint enables brands to leverage targeted advocates in the form of Influencers,Bloggers and MIcroinfluencers.

Recently Blogmint Started Instagram campaign as a new feature for both Brands as well as Influencers.I was lucky enough to do a campaign for kraftly which is a well known brand online flea market for people looking for unique products from exclusive sellers from all over the nation

The Procedure was very Simple

1)Download the Kraftly app on phone and Go to their Mobile acccesories,covers and skin.

2)Browse their Unique collection.

3)Share the Product you really like on your personal Instagram account using their social sharing option on the Product page.

4)After Editing the Product,It takes you to the last step where you write the Caption of the Post.

5)A Standard will automatically be filled with all details of the product.Click on share and you are Set.

Instagram Feature by Blogmint really helps a brand in showcasing their unique collections in a better way just to atttact more people.It is surely an awesome and big platform provided by Blogmint for all brands as well as sellers to promote their products which will help them in the long run.

Google Launches New Chromecast and Chromecast Audio in India

Google Officially launched their second generation Google Chromecast and Chromecast Audio in India.With a Sleek design,a wealth of fresh content and an updated app to find the best entertainment,the new chromecast will make streaming faster and easier.Chromecast Audio is a new device that plugs into speakers to stream audio,podcasts and music over Wifi.

Chromecast turns any TV into a Smart TV for a fraction of the cost.With Chromecast,your phone is your remote.Simply tap the cast button from a cast enabled app to start watching HD content on TV.Search,play,game,and more,right from your phone.Chromecast works with Iphone,Ipad,Android phone or Tablet,Mac or windows laptop or chromebook.It supports the latest WiFi standards and adapts to changing  WiFi Conditions in most homes,ensuring higher quality video with less buffering.In addition to movies,TV Shows and music are available through apps including Netflix,Hooq,Eros Now and Youtube.Chromecast also offers a range of popular single and multiplayer games including Angry birds Go and Just Dance Now.

"The new Chromecast brings your favourite entertainment from your mobile devices to the big screen with ease.With improved connectivity, a new design and an updated app,friends and family can share the fun of streaming movies.music,games and shows.The future of entertainment is streaming and Chromecast brings it all to you in a simple affordable device."-said Mickey Kim,Head of APAC Chromecast Partnerships.

With Chromecast Audio,it is now possible to create a seamless home audio system with unmatched compatibility and affordability.It is very easy  to set up Chromecast audio.Just Plug it into your speaker and connect to power,download the chromecast app on your phone to setup your chromecast audio on WiFi,and connect your phone to the same WiFi network as your Chromecast Audio.
Chromecast Audio is an affordable way to stream music to your existing speakers.It is the Perfect upgrade to your bluetoooth speakers,home theatre systems,table top radios ,desktop speakers and more.

Google has priced both the devices at Rs 3999 and will be available from several marketplaces including Flipkart,snapdeal,Paytm and retailers like Reliance and Croma.

TECHNOLOGY:A BOON OR BANE TO CRICKET??

It is rightly said that to err is to human and therefore, it is stated that the human eye cannot make correct judgments all the time

Everything has its own pros and cons. This applies to technology also.The growing use of technology in cricket has made it a wholesome experience for the TV viewers ,All these technologies are  gifted by science to the game of cricket but there is also debate going on over use of technology to aid umpiring decisions has much to do with the need for cricket to “grow up” and flow with the times.

The stats from the most recent World Cup, in 2011, showed that around 28% of referrals resulted in the on-field umpire's decision being overturned, yet it seems counter-intuitive to attempt to increase the standard of umpiring by diminishing their responsibility.

Cricket is like a tradition now in many countries and all the traditions have certain things, which should not be touched upon or altered. Cricket has always had umpires who take the final decision. Good Umpires make correct decisions based entirely upon intuition, past observations of pitch and players, and experience of playing and watching the game.Just changing it simply doesn't solve the purpose. Even if a decision is wrong, it should be respected and also accepted like how it has been happening over the years.

With the umpires coming under closer scrutiny than ever before with the Hawk-eye, slowmos and super slowmotions, and what have you, virtually every decision of theirs comes under the hammer. 

Strangely, few care to appreciate that the umpires have to make do without the benefit of replays, and as such, there is always the element human error that is omnipresent, especially with regard to leg-before decisions. 

The Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS or DRS) has been one of the most widely debated topics in the cricketing world because of the controversies generated in recent times over accuracy of the technology. 

Even the inventors of hawk-eye have been honest to admit that there is some fuzziness to the ball trajectory that the simulation depicts.

The point is that technology will certainly benefit cricket so long as the teams do not misuse the provisions in the name of gamesmanship or to slow down the game. Of course, it would be a pity that cricket might stand to lose its “human touch” with the umpires taking recourse to replays rather than deliver a decision that might be questioned. 

So much time is wasted by officials, players, administrators and fans discussing tweaks to DRS that a radical overhaul of the system is needed. It should be stripped of all technology – not just HotSpot, Hawk-Eye and Snicko, but enhanced volume, slow-motion, high-definition zooms and even replays – which all add complications and are unnecessary for spotting the howler. Let's also take control of the system away from the field of play. Rather than giving the players reviews, the third umpire should be able to interject at his own discretion when he is certain an error has been made.

Perfection can be rather boring, and cricket’s charm lies as much in feats of batting and bowling as umpiring decisions, right or wrong. I have nothing against technology in sport so long as the sport is not reduced to being its slave as we are increasingly becoming in our everyday life. But then, is this wishful thinking, I wonder. 

From the ongoing World Cup, what I have noticed is that many times this technology is unnecessarily used. Even if the batsman is clearly out, still the review is called for thereby wasting a lot of time. Even if there is no need for the review, the team still calls for it. I think this has made a mockery of the complete system.

Human errors cannot be completely eradicated out of the game but the fact that the technology used in the UDRS is also fallible is sometimes, quite conveniently ignored.All these technologies like UDRS  needs to be shored up and made consistent.

Lastly, let cricket retain its human element as it adds to the game's beauty. Let us wait for better substitutes to come and then let the powers decide. Long live the game!

This Blog has been Written for #BloggerDreamTeam in association  with Blogmint.