Friday, 16 May 2014

Win a Moto X courtesy UC Browser Cricket Version

5/16/2014 10:29:00 pm BUSINESS, TECHNOLOGY 3 comments

Win a Moto X courtesy UC Browser Cricket Version

Think you know more about mobiles and tablets than NDTV Gadgets' experts? Didn't win a Moto G in our previous contest? Here's your chance to flaunt your knowledge about gadgets and win a cool Moto X in the process!

Simply write a review for a phone or tablet that you've used by following the instructions below. Leave your name and email address along-with the name of the phone or tablet you've reviewed and you will be entered into a draw. Every review counts as an additional entry into the draw, so the more mobiles or tablets you review, the greater your chances of winning a brand new Moto X courtesy UC Browser Cricket Version.

How to participate in the contest
1) Write a user review for a mobile phone or tablet of your choice by following the instructions mentioned below.
2) Submit this form:

You can submit as many entries as you like by writing reviews of different products and then submitting this form with the name of that product and other details. Each submission counts as an entry to the contest and increases your odds of winning a brand new Moto X courtesy UC Browser Cricket Version. (Also see: UC Browser review)

Writing a user review
1) Find your mobile or tablet by visiting the mobile finder or tablet finder. Find the manufacturer of your mobile or tablet from the top of that page and then the device you want to review, or simply use the search box on the top right hand corner of this page (or any other page on this site) to find the product you want to review.
2) Scroll down to the bottom of that page and use the 'Write a user review' option to write a review for that product. User reviews are moderated and it may be a while before your review appears on the website - do not write another review for the same product, even if you don't see your review on the website after submission.

FAQ

Q) Can I write reviews for more than one mobile phone or tablet?
A) Yes, you can submit reviews for as many mobiles or tablets as you like. Do remember to submit the form above after every review to increase your chances of winning a Moto X.

Q) Can I review a mobile or tablet I have never used?
A) Can you like or dislike someone you've never met? Please only review mobiles and tablets you have spent a considerable amount of time with.

Q) Do I need to write a positive review to win the contest?
A) No, your review can be either positive or negative (or neutral), but make sure that it is representative of your experience with the product. In-depth reviews are more likely to be approved (thus making you eligible to win a Moto X), rather than reviews like "Gr8 phone!!" or "Crap tablet!".

Q) Is there a minimum or maximum length for the review?
A) Minimum - 20 words. Maximum - 3000 characters.

Q) Any other tips for writing a review?
A) Talk about what made you buy the device (e.g. loudspeaker FM), your experience using it (e.g. great call quality), and who would you recommend it for (e.g. gamers). Make sure the rating you choose (good or bad) corresponds with the review you write. Do not mention any personal details like email address or mobile number in the review. Do not include any URLs in the review.

Q) I wrote a review but it's not showing up on the website. What can I do?
A) User reviews are moderated so it may take up to 24 hours before your review shows up on the website. Reviews are moderated for language (i.e. to make sure they don't contain any offensive words) as well as overall quality, so make sure you follow all the tips mentioned on this page. If you feel you've done everything indicated here, wait for your review to be published.

Q) Can I write multiple reviews for the same product?
A) No, because that wouldn't make any sense, would it?

Terms and conditions
1) The contest is open till 1st June 2014.
2) You can submit multiple entries.
3) The winner will be picked by a lucky draw.
4) NDTV staff and their family cannot participate in the contest.
5) In case of any disputes, the decision of NDTV Gadgets staff will be final.
6) The winner will be announced within 7 working days of the closure of the contest and the Moto X will be shipped to an address within India provided by the winner.
7) NDTV Gadgets and UC Browser reserve the right to amend, withdraw or revise these conditions at any time without giving any notice.

Hi guys If u like this post please leave a comment in comment box... comment box will top right of every post and bottom of every post. its useful for me give a better information.. check top of the blog there is menu bar in that go to comments i replied for u r comments because there is no direct option for reply for u r comments. if u want to give any suggestion in bottom of blog there is contact information option please leave a msgs with u r mail id sure i will get u.

Nvidia Tegra K1 Thrashes Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 in Benchmarks: Report

5/16/2014 10:27:00 pm BUSINESS, TECHNOLOGY No comments

Nvidia Tegra K1 Thrashes Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 in Benchmarks: Report

Nvidia first announced its Tegra K1 mobile SoC back in January during CES 2014. The same chip, after appearing for the first time in the recently announced Xiaomi MiPad tablet, has now been featured by a Chinese website in a number of benchmarks against Qualcomm's Snapdragon 801 SoC, and Nvidia's own last-generation Tegra 4 SoC.

The Tegra K1's GPU is based on Nvidia's Kepler architecture, used in its full-fledged PC GPUs. According to Nvidia at the launch at CES, the chip makes for a tablet more powerful than an Xbox 360or PlayStation 3 game console, while consuming one-twentieth the power. The chipset comes with four Cortex-A15 cores clocked at 2.3GHz, plus a battery-saver core - giving the Tegra K1 its '4 Plus 1' core architecture - and a 192-core Nvidia Kepler GPU. A 64-bit Tegra K1 version is scheduled to be launched in June.

When tested on AnTuTu, 3DMark, BaseMark OS II, BaseMark X, Kraken 1.1, Sunspider 1.0.2, Google Octane 2.0, and WebXPRT 2013, the Nvidia Tegra K1 was found leading the race against the other two - quite dramatically. The device on which the SoC was tested was not mentioned. However, according to CPU-Z (via GSMArena) data, the device is running on Android 4.4.2 KitKat OS with 4GB of RAM and with a 320ppi pixel density screen.

Of course, it must be said that Qualcomm will soon be launching the even more powerful successor to the Snapdragon 801 chipset, the Snapdragon 805, with the first devices running on it expected to hit store shelves in the first half of 2014 - possibly ahead of the Xiaomi MiPad's launch in mid-June. So, to be fair, the Nvidia Tegra K1 must be pegged against the Snapdragon 805 - we're excited to see which will come out on top in that competition.

Last month, a purported image of Nvidia's next-generation Shield 2 portable gaming console tests under AnTuTu surfaced online. The image showed the yet-to-be-unannounced gaming console to be powered by a 2.5GHz quad-core processor, specified as the Tegra K1 SoC.

For now, there is no word on the release date, price and regional availability of the next version of Nvidia's portable console. However, we expect the portable console to go on shop floors around July, the same time when the original Nvidia Shield was introduced.

Eight Android 4.4 KitKat smartphones you can buy under Rs. 20,000

5/16/2014 10:24:00 pm BUSINESS, EDUCATION, TECHNOLOGY 1 comment

Eight Android 4.4 KitKat smartphones you can buy under Rs. 20,000

Google announced Android 4.4 KitKat in November last year, but smartphones running the latest version of Android have been few and far between. Even the ones available often come with a stiff price tag, especially in India.

The sub-Rs. 20,000 segment might not grab headlines, but for most people it represents the segment to which their first smartphone belongs. We pick eight smartphones in this segment running the latest Android version, but before that, let's take a look at the improvements in KitKat itself.

Android 4.4 KitKat: What's New?
Android 4.4 KitKat has a number of changes compared to Android 4.3 Jelly Bean including more immersive graphics, as well as deeper integration with Google's intelligent assistant, Google Now.

Android 4.4 allows users' to just say "OK Google" from the home screen to launch the Google Now assistant and do a voice search, send a text, get directions and even play a song. Google has been enhancing Google Now with new card types that bring information about contextual topics that interest users such as updates from favourite websites.

Android KitKat also comes with visual changes including a translucent menu bar located at the bottom of the screen, and new transition effects when you open the app launcher. You can preview wallpapers in full-screen before applying and also the wallpapers now extends through the notification tray as well.

The Quick Settings notifications in the Android KitKat menu toggles also add a 'location settings' toggle. A new Emoji keyboard for emoticons is now included in the native Google Keyboard.

There is a new Phone (dialer) app, which automatically prioritises the users' contacts based on the people they talk to the most.

(Also see: Android 4.4 KitKat: Top 10 new features)

Google introduced a new unified messaging app in Android KitKat with Hangouts getting SMS and MMS integration, in addition to offering instant messaging through Google accounts (erstwhile Google Talk), a change that is not entirely desirable.

In addition, Android 4.4 KitKat has brought platform support for two new composite sensors - step detector and step counter. These sensors allows users to track steps when they're walking, running, or climbing stairs, via apps and hardware that support the feature.

Some other additions in the Android KitKat include better support for cloud printing, enhanced connectivity options, and better accessibility.

Google says that Android 4.4 KitKat has been designed to run fast, smooth, and responsively not only on high-end devices but also on entry-level ones that have as low as 512MB of RAM.

(Also see: Seven octa-core Android smartphones you can buy under Rs. 20,000)

We now take a look at these best Android 4.4 KitKat-based smartphone options available in the Indian market under Rs. 20,000 - and let you work out which one's best for you.

1. Moto E (Rs. 6,999)
Motorola announced its most affordable smartphone in Moto range, the Moto E running Android 4.4 KitKat at Rs. 6,999. The Moto E has created a buzz in the Indian market with its affordable pricing.

Moto E comes with 4.3-inch display with a qHD (540x960 pixel) resolution and 256ppi pixel density. Motorola is also touting the Corning Gorilla Glass 3 screen of the phone, along with its 'water-nano coating' which provides a measure of water resistance. The Moto E is a dual-SIM phone that supports Micro-SIM cards and an 'intelligent calling feature.'

(Also see: Moto E Hands On | Pictures)

Moto E is powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor along with Adreno 302 GPU alongside 1GB of RAM. Motorola's latest budget offering comes with a 5-megapixel rear camera and packs a 1980mAh battery.

2. Xolo Q1000 Opus (Rs. 8,180)
The Xolo Q1000 Opus runs Android 4.2 out-of-the-box but received the Android 4.4 KitKat update recently, making it the first sub-Rs. 10,000 handset to run the latest Android version.

With the rollout of KitKat for the Q1000 Opus, Xolo also became one of the first domestic handset makers which announced Android 4.4 KitKat update for its smartphones. However, we are yet to see updates coming for other Xolo smartphones.

(Also see: Xolo Q1000 Opus Review | Pictures)

Xolo launched the Q1000 Opus back in December last year at Rs. 9,999. The Xolo Q1000 Opus is a dual-SIM phablet with support for GSM+GSM and features a 5-inch FWVGA IPS display with 480x854 pixels resolution. It continues the Q range tradition and sports a 1.2GHz quad-core Broadcom BCM23550 processor with Videocore IV GPU and 1GB of RAM. It sports a 5-megapixel autofocus rear camera accompanied by an LED flash and also includes a VGA front-facing camera.

3. Moto G (Rs. 12,499 (8GB) / (16GB) Rs. 13,499)
This year saw one of the popular global handset manufacturers enter the Indian smartphone arena, after a brief sabbatical. Yes, we are talking about Motorola that grabbed a lot of eye balls thanks to its Moto G.

Motorola's Moto G was an attempt to grab buyers' attention by offering a number of features at an extremely reasonable price. The Moto G ships with Android 4.3 Jelly Bean but the Android 4.4.2 KitKat is available OTA.

(Also see: Moto G Review | Pictures)

One of the biggest highlights of the Moto G is its 4.5-inch 720x1280-pixel IPS LCD, which works out to a density of 329 pixels per inch. It is powered by 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor with Adreno 305 graphics and 1GB of RAM onboard.

4. LG L70 Dual (Rs. 13,560)
LG seems to be throwing everything it has behind its range of 'L' series smartphones by introducing its third-generation devices in the new L Series III range. All of which are based on Android 4.4 KitKat.

The LG L70 Dual made its way to the Indian market recently and features company's proprietary Optimus 3.0 UI customisation on top of Android.

The L70 Dual features a 4.5-inch IPS LCD display, packing a WVGA (400x800 pixels) resolution and a pixel density of 207ppi. The smartphone comes with 1GB of RAM, and is paired with a 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon 200 processor alongside an Adreno 302 GPU. It sports a 5-megapixel rear autofocus CMOS camera and also houses a 0.3-megapixel front-facing camera.

5. Karbonn Titanium Octane (Rs. 14,490)
Large displays seem to be the craze among handset manufacturers these days. Karbonn has played a prominent part in the large phone display race and released three new Android smartphones in India.

The Karbonn Titanium Octane, as the name suggests runs on a 1.7GHz octa-core MediaTek MT6592 processor with 1GB of RAM. It features a 5-inch HD IPS display and sports a 13-megapixel rear camera, accompanied by a 5-megapixel front-facing camera.

6. LG L90 Dual (Rs. 16,745)
The LG L90 Dual is part of company's third-generation L Series device and runs Android 4.4 KitKat out-of-the-box, which is the highlight of LG's new mid-range smartphone.

(Also see: LG L90 Dual Review | Pictures)

The LG L90 Dual offers Knock Code, which is company's evolution of the KnockON feature that first debuted last year in the LG G2 (Review | Pictures).

It sports a 4.7-inch IPS display with qHD (540x960 pixels) resolutio and is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor with 1GB of RAM. The LG L90 Dual sports an 8-megapixel rear camera and a 1.3-megapixel front camera.

7. Karbonn Titanium Hexa (Rs. 16,990)
The Karbonn Titanium Hexa features a 5.5-inch full-HD (1080x1920 pixels) LTPS display, and is powered by a 1.5GHz hexa-core MediaTek MT6591 processor that is coupled with 2GB of RAM.

The Titanium Hexa bears a 13-megapixel rear autofocus camera with flash, and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera.

8. Karbonn Titanium Octane Plus (Rs. 17,990)
The Karbonn Titanium Octane Plus features a 5-inch full-HD (1080x1920 pixel) IPS display, and runs on the 1.7GHz MediaTek MT6592 octa-core processor, however, with 2GB of RAM. It features a 16-megapixel autofocus rear camera with an 8-megapixel front-facing camera.

All three Karbonn phones mentioned here will be available in the market soon, with the Titanium Hex slated to be available from Amazon from May 20.

Bonus
Lava has just announced the first smartphone in its new Iris X range - the Iris X1, which will be running Android 4.4.2 KitKat out-of-the-box and will be priced under Rs. 8,000. Lava also revealed that the Iris X1 features a 4.5-inch IPS display and an 8-megapixel rear camera.

Entrepreneurs heading to smaller cities to set up technology-led companies

5/16/2014 10:19:00 pm BUSINESS, EDUCATION, JOBS, TECHNOLOGY No comments

Entrepreneurs heading to smaller cities to set up technology-led companies

Away from big city lights, scores of young Indians are starting new ventures, encouraged by the rising needs of middleclass citizens and the global reach that technology offers. In cities like Bhopal, Lucknow, Coimbatore, Vellore, Siliguri and Jodhpur, many young graduates from lesser-known universities and colleges are churning out products and services for customer at home and abroad.

These businesses, ranging from food delivery and enterprise software development to robotics training, are using the internet to connect with vendors and reach customers.

“With basic infrastructure available, you can start an online business from any city,” said Navneet Chaudhary, the 21-year-old founder of Trainkhana, a food delivery venture based in Jodhpur.

Fed up with the bad quality of food provided in India’s trains, Chaudhary, a third-year engineering student and son of a local farmer, launched the venture last year. He borrowed Rs 1.5 lakh from friends and family, and travelled to almost 90 cities and towns to tie up with local restaurants that now deliver quality food to travellers. Users who log onto the portal’s website have to just enter their PNR number or train journey details. The food can also be ordered through its call centre.

At present, TrainKhana earns revenues of Rs 1 lakh every month. “The money is sufficient for our 10-member team in Jodhpur, where the costs are low,” said Chaudhary.

Experts are of the view that small-town entrepreneurs are hungrier for success and have a clearer view of the problems that ordinary Indians want solutions for.

“Small-town entrepreneurs come with at least more 10 times more passion and a fire in their belly,” said Vijay Shekhar Sharma, cofounder of One97 Mobility Fund. The $100-million fund has invested in ventures such as mobile security firm WaveSecure, mobile payments startup MobiSwipe and ecommerce platform ZEPO.

Entrepreneurs heading to smaller cities to set up technology-led companies

Sharma, who hails from a small village near Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, has built a Rs 200-crore company that provides mobility solutions and has raised capital from global investment firms including SAIF partners and Intel Capital. The lack of job opportunities outside the metros is also pushing many to start up on their own.

Bhopal-based Nemesh Singh struggled for over three years to land a job after his graduation. Fed up with failures, Singh and three batch-mates decided to start Appointy - a task scheduling application.

The five-year-old company now grosses about $40,000 per month (Rs 24 lakh) in revenues. “With pervasiveness of the internet the location of a startup doesn’t matter now,” said Singh, who is targeting revenues of $4-5 million in 2015, from over 58,000 clients, all based in the US.

“We don’t want to move out of Bhopal due to the low cost of operations and quality of life,” said Singh, 34, who has rented a 4,000 square feet farmhouse for his 10-member team at Rs 20,000 per month.

Such opportunity is beckoning even non-resident Indians who are not averse to settling down in nonmetro locations which they believe offer better standards of living.

“Talented research professionals from across India are more willing to move to cities like Ahmedabad, owing to a better standard of living here,” said Apurva Shah, 45, who returned to his home town of Ahmedabad in 2005 to start the city’s first clinical research firm, VeedaCR, with Rs 7 crore seed funding from friends and family.

“While there is 25% attrition in the industry, our attrition rate is just 8%,” said the management graduate from Boston University.

The company, with operations in Malaysia, US and Germany, earned revenue of Rs 90 crore in fiscal 2014. It has acquired four companies in the United Kingdom and Belgium in past five years.

The growing number of regional airports is also helping the small town startup revolution. “Earlier we had to travel to Mumbai to fly anywhere overseas. Now we have connectivity to all major countries,” said Shah, who raised Rs 50 crore from Actis Capital in 2007.

More investors are now keen to back such growth stories. “We actively scout for entrepreneurs and startups from small towns as they are more focused and understand the needs of Bharat than India,” said Bharti Jacob, founding partner at SeedFund, which has invested in Vaatsalya, a healthcare chain focused only on small towns of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

“I tell people to take six months off and travel across small towns and villages of the Indian subcontinent to understand their real needs,” said Rajan Anandan, one of the most prolific angel investors in India who has backed over 40 startups. “The needs of people of Bharat and India are very different.”

Low operating costs is also a factor for entrepreneurs who are relocating to small towns. Last year Shanmugavel Sankaran, moved his company, Fixnix, from Chennai to Vellore, about 150 kilometres away. Apart from lower costs the town also hosts a number of engineering colleges that provide a ready pool of talent.

FixNix makes governance risk and compliance software for firms such as Consim, Cipla and Hexaware. “Small town entrepreneurs should build contacts with the government and placement cells of local colleges, where they can get free incubation,” said Sankaran, 33, a former IT security manager at IBM and Microsoft. Young graduates are all basking in the warmth of greater social acceptance for startups.

After working for just ten months at a robotics and heavy machinery firm in Pune, Sakyasingha Mahapatra, moved back to his home town in Bhubaneshwar in 2010.His venture SakRobotix, sells robot accessories and provides hands-on trainings in robotics.

“For online education, it doesn’t matter where we are located,” said the 29-year-old, who expects his company to earn revenue of Rs 10 crore in two years.

Startups like InMobi, Myntra, Flipkart and others recruit, retain staff with Harley-Davdisons, Volkswagens

5/16/2014 10:18:00 pm BUSINESS, EDUCATION, JOBS, TECHNOLOGY No comments

Startups like InMobi, Myntra, Flipkart and others recruit, retain staff with Harley-Davdisons, Volkswagens

At emerging technology firm InMobi, a common slogan is “InMobi pays you to have hobbies”. Want to learn guitar, a new language, or how to paraglide? Employees can enroll on a course and on completion, InMobi will reimburse up to $800 of the cost. Personal development of individuals has not just been encouraged, it has in fact been made part of every employee’s overall goals at InMobi.

Also, starting this year, every employee who stays at the company for three years will be eligible to get a Harley-Davidson bike, a Volkswagen car, or De Beers jewellery. Says Monisha Tambay, vice-president of people operation at InMobi: “We are working towards building a dream company. We are doing that by thinking out of the box when it comes to HR practices, wiring together policies that enable employees and investing in our people since therein lies our foundation for a successful future.”

Even as traditional IT firms struggle to find and keep people, emerging tech companies and startups like InMobi, Myntra, Flipkart and Book-MyShow are adopting innovative ways when it comes to rewarding, training, developing and recruiting talent to build their foundations on.

“Startups need to hire the best people, create opportunity for people to give their best, and provide lucrative ways to retain employees,” says Nishchae Suri, partner and country head, people and change, at KPMG India. “Since they do not have large teams, they need programmes that bring out the best in their employees and improve contribution at a faster rate than more established companies.”

Every Monday morning at TaxiForSure, an employee discusses an inspiring story that does not have to be related to corporate life. “It should help people in rethinking the way they look at things and providing new perspectives to life,” says co-founder Aprameya Radhakrishna.

Weekly inter-team quizzing takes place where the team that wins, keeps the trophy till next week. The startup gets its top brass to address specific issues of teams. The issues could be as varied as ‘making better presentations’ to ‘managing conflict’.”Leaders are forced to understand issues at a deeper level, because without that they can’t answer questions or provide insights,” added Radhakrishna.

This January, BookMyShow, which helps people book tickets online for movies and other events, took a big step in ensuring retention. The company offered its shares to 50 of its 200 employees for the first time in its 10-year history. Out of 50, five were office boys and one was a secretary. The shares were given mostly to those who have stayed at the firm for four years and more, while some were rewarded based on their performance despite shorter tenures.

“We are not following what any other firm has done. This was the right time to give something back because of their loyalty. And, hierarchy was not considered for this,” says Ashish Hemrajani, CEO and founder of BookMyShow.

At Myntra, employees are being given the opportunity to ask for training programmes that may not be relevant to their jobs. And the online shopping company foots half the bill.

“While some of our training programmes are mandated, there is the option for employees themselves to ask for training, even if it is not relevant to their job roles. We work with the employee to help figure out what assistance he or she needs,” said a human resource spokesperson at Myntra.

From a leadership development perspective, too, the fledgling firm is ensuring that it doesn’t fall behind. Every manager is given responsibility to find and develop his or her successor at any given point, and the company evaluates its leadership pipeline every six months. Online retail firm Flipkart has an intense training “boot-camp” right from entry-level employees to senior management.

New tech hires, for instance, are exposed to all teams that work on different technologies, and are presented with real-time problems for which they are expected to generate workable solutions.

It also has an internal knowledge-sharing forum for engineering teams, where the primary objective is to facilitate an exchange of perspectives among open-minded engineers.

Even at much smaller organisations, training is seen as the most essential component of talent management. With just 11 permanent employees, and 40 field staff, Three Wheels United is training employees on concepts of social business. “Many come from an NGO background and are unaware of business models in the social sector,” says CEO and co-founder Ramesh Prabhu. Three Wheels United helps auto drivers get a financial base and provides insurance. The start-up plans to rope in external help for business and HR initiatives.

Startups like InMobi, Myntra, Flipkart and others recruit, retain staff with Harley-Davdisons, Volkswagens

Finding new talent remains the main focus for start-ups as they expand. “Hiring is the major sore point for startups. The most important thing when you are building a company is finding the right cultural fit, who also has the talent that you require,” says Amit Singh, co-founder of HeadStart Network Foundation, a not-for-profit that organises hiring events for start-ups.

To ensure dilution of company culture is at a minimum, InMobi plans to make 100% of its hires through employee referrals by 2017. Myntra, which hired 2,300 employees last fiscal year, recruits only fresh graduates from the Indian Institutes of Technology, Indian Institutes of Management, Indian School of Business and National Institutes of Fashion Technology. The company has five rounds of interviews for any role, and a large portion, more than 30% of its recruitment is through employee referrals only.

Others are giving “speed dating” a go. Head-Start’s Higher, an event which facilitates such hiring, saw close to 300 start-ups register for its latest edition in Bangalore last month. Typically, candidates — with two to 12 years of experience — are short-listed through an online platform.

On the day of the event, each start-up pitches itself for 60 seconds, following which companies and candidates interact in a “speed-dating” format, with three minutes given to each candidate to be interviewed. The recruiters then roll out the offers they want to make.

‘Every start-up is a customer pain point that an entrepreneur spots’

5/16/2014 10:15:00 pm BUSINESS, EDUCATION, TECHNOLOGY No comments

‘Every start-up is a customer pain point that an entrepreneur spots’

To be an entrepreneur, one should learn there is no alternative to hard work, adapt to dynamic environment and get things done as a team says Gaurav Aggarwal, Founder and CEO, Savaari Car Rentals…

How did you start your career?

I started as a software engineer and worked through all layers of Cisco’s internet operating system for cable routers in US. I started out working at the application layer and towards the later part of my 10+ years @Cisco I was writing driver code for the latest and greatest of the line cards for cable routers. The biggest learning for me was the aptitude that I developed to understand as complex a system as Cisco’s internet operating system which had over 25 million lines of code and could switch millions of packets a second.

What was the transition like from a software engineer to an Entrepreneur?

The most difficult part was to leave the cushy job in US to move back to India and work full time on Savaari. However, it has been an exciting journey since the inception of Savaari. The first few years were spent in getting the business and financial model right. The model was that we can provide quality services to our customers on a pan India basis at very reasonable prices and still churn profits. We have been cash flow positive since our second year itself. In March 2012, we have raised our Series A round of funding and this money helped us create awareness about Savaari and its offering to scale and to build the right technology solution to achieve the scale. We recently received the second round of funding from Intel Capital with participation from Inventus. This will be used for further expansion and for deploying advanced technology for the benefit of its customers. We have come a long way since 2006 and have proved our business and service model is right on track.

What are things you learnt and the skills that help you run a start-up?

There is no alternative to hard work. Apart from learning this fact, I honed up my technical knowledge, adaptability to dynamic environment and get things done as a team. However, it is enthusiasm that was crucial to me. Ability to solve problems, understanding of professional and ethical responsibilities, ability to analyse and interpret data, organisational and leadership skills are some of the skills I acquired.

What lessons did you imbibe from your manager?

My manager at Cisco taught me to stay calm even under tremendous pressure and as a result of which you can find (and in fact drive your team towards) elegant solutions to incredible complex problems even at the most testing times.

What’s your advice to budding entrepreneurs?

Running a start-up is a roller coaster ride. The genesis of every start-up at the core is a customer pain point that an entrepreneur spots. If you have an idea and you believe in it, take a leap of faith and start working on it. The more you will delay, the harder it will become. When looking back you will never repent that you took a chance and failed but certainly on the chances that you didn’t take.

JobBuzz Poll

Must-have skills to make it big in Big Data

5/16/2014 10:13:00 pm BUSINESS, EDUCATION, TECHNOLOGY No comments

Must-have skills to make it big in Big Data

Problem solving, communications skills with open mindedness are critical skills for this industry.

The biggest constraint for the Big Data industry today is the fact that there are not enough people who understand Big Data, to work on it, to manage it and get meaningful results out of it.

The industry requirement is a wide variety of roles, some of which are purely data-oriented, some others purely statistics oriented and then there are roles which integrate all these and connect it to business.

To reduce the skill gap, several organisations are collaborating with academic partners to develop curriculum that reflects the mix of technical and problem-solving skills.

So what skills should someone aiming to enter this industry prepare themselves for?

Typically Big Data teams in an organisation can have basically six kinds of roles, viz:

The architects
The domain experts
The subject matter experts
The analysts, who will be able to bring in the data analysis and statistical analysis kind of experience into the picture
The technical administrators who know how to manage large sets of data
The applications specialist

“The thinking process and expectations from each of these roles is different,” says Srikanth Muralidhara, Co-founder Flutura Solutions. “Big Data opportunities are basically transforming three things: one is creating a new culture which enables a data driven culture, where decisions are based on data as well as intuition. Next we are talking about transforming businesses because now we know that we can understand customers better and thereby can design products and services better and the third of course is we optimise technology investments.”

Of these the Data Analyst and the Data Scientist are currently much in demand in India.

Thinking abilities for a Big Data analyst include:

Ability to look at data and think on the lines of why is this happening?
What will happen if this trend continues
What will happen next (which is about predictive modeling)
Asking the question as to what’s the best that can happen (the optimization aspect)

“So when we say we are bringing in a big data analyst it should be someone who is comfortable with these kind of questions,’’ says Srinivasan Govindaraj Senior Director and Practice head – Enterprise Information management (EIM).

The abilities necessary for a Data Scientist:

Needs to know how to predict behaviors and derive the sentiments of customers
Needs to know how to process unstructured data, and
How to correlate difference sets of data
How to identify new patterns in untapped data

In fact according to industry players a good data scientist must take the time to learn:

What problem needs to be solved?
How the solution will deliver value?
How it’ll be used and by whom?

“In short it is problem solving and communications skills with open mindedness,’’ says Muralidhara. “The last skill is particularly significant because a data scientist often applies his or her knowledge to multiple industries, such as banking, health care and retail.’’

Net neutrality: US FCC okays 'internet fastlanes'

5/16/2014 10:10:00 pm BUSINESS, TECHNOLOGY No comments

Net neutrality: US FCC okays 'internet fastlanes'

FCC would ban ISPs from slowing down access to websites but may let them charge companies for faster and more reliable delivery of their traffic to users.

WASHINGTON: US regulators on Thursday advanced a net neutrality proposal that would ban internet providers from blocking or slowing down access to websites but may let them charge content companies for faster and more reliable delivery of their traffic to users.

For four months now, the public can weigh in on the rules proposed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in what promises to be an intense tug-of-war between some tech companies and consumer advocates on one side and Republicans and broadband providers on the other, over the extent to which the agency can regulate Internet traffic.

Dozens protested the vote at the FCC on Thursday as many consumer advocates have rejected FCC chairman Tom Wheeler's proposal that may allow some "commercially reasonable" deals in which content companies could pay broadband providers to prioritize traffic on their networks.

Critics worry the rules would create "fast lanes" for companies that pay up and mean slower traffic for others. Wheeler pledged to use all of his powers to prevent "acts to divide the internet between 'haves' and 'have nots.'"

"I will not allow the national asset of an open internet to be compromised," Wheeler said. "The prospect of a gatekeeper choosing winners and losers on the internet is unacceptable."

Consumer advocates want the FCC to instead reclassify internet providers as utilities, like telephone companies, rather than as the less-regulated information services they are now. Broadband companies and Republicans, both in Congress and at the FCC, vehemently oppose the plan.

The advanced proposal seeks comment on benefits of reclassification, which critics say would throw the industry into legal limbo, discourage investment in network infrastructure and still not prevent pay-for-priority deals.

Wheeler's two fellow Democrats at the FCC expressed misgivings about his proposal, with commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel saying the FCC moved "too fast to be fair." But she and Mignon Clyburn concurred with Wheeler for a 3-2 vote to begin the process of collecting public comment on the proposal.

"The real call to action begins after the vote today," Clyburn said. "You have the ear of the entire FCC. The eyes of the world are on all of us."

The FCC's move comes after a US appeals court rejected its earlier net neutrality rules, which said pay-for-priority deals "would raise significant cause for concern." To comply with the court, the new proposal suggests some pay-for-priority deals may be allowed, but also asks whether "some or all" such deals can be banned.

"The FCC's efforts were dealt a real challenge by the Court of Appeals in January, but chairman Wheeler has said his goal is to preserve an open internet, and we are pleased to see that he is keeping all options on the table," the White House said in a statement, adding they will watch the independent agency's work "in hopes that the final rule stays true to the spirit of net neutrality."

The FCC's vote was cautiously welcomed by both broadband providers and consumer interest and technology groups as each side hopes the ultimate rules lean their way.

"Nothing should be taken off the table as this discussion evolves," Michael Beckerman, chief executive officer of the Internet Association that represents companies including Google and Facebook, said in a statement, adding that his group will "advocate for the FCC to use its full legal authority to enforce rules that lead to an open internet.
"

"TAKE NO AS A QUESTION "

TECHNOLOGY

STOCK EXCHANGE

ENTERTAINMENT

SOCIAL NETWORKS

CRICKET

Friday, 16 May 2014