Apple Introduces Apple Invites, a New iPhone App to Create Custom Invitations

Introducing Apple Invites, a new app that brings people together for life’s special moments

Apple, on Tuesday, announced the Apple Invites, a new app for iPhone that helps users create custom invitations to gather friends and family for any occasion. With Apple Invites, users can create and easily share invitations, RSVP, contribute to Shared Albums, and engage with Apple Music playlists. Starting 4th February, users can download Apple Invites from the App Store, or access it on the web through icloud.com/invites. iCloud+ subscribers can create invitations, and anyone can RSVP, regardless of whether they have an Apple Account or Apple device.

“With Apple Invites, an event comes to life from the moment the invitation is created, and users can share lasting memories even after they get together,” said Brent Chiu-Watson, Apple’s senior director of Worldwide Product Marketing for Apps and iCloud. “Apple Invites brings together capabilities our users already know and love across iPhone, iCloud, and Apple Music, making it easy to plan special events.”

Beautiful Invitations That Create and Capture Shared Moments

With Apple Invites, bringing events to life is easy and fun. Users can create, share, and RSVP to invitations through the Apple Invites app, or on the web from any device.

To get started with Apple Invites, users can choose an image from their photo library or from the app’s gallery of backgrounds — a curated collection of images representing different occasions and event themes. Integrations with Maps and Weather give guests directions to the event and the forecast for that day.

Additionally, participants can easily contribute photos and videos to a dedicated Shared Album within each invite to help preserve memories and relive the event. And collaborative playlists allow Apple Music subscribers to create a curated event soundtrack that guests can access right from Apple Invites.

Integrations with Maps and Weather give guests directions to the event and the forecast for that day.

Apple Intelligence Makes Invites Even More Fun

Image Playground is built right into Apple Invites, giving users an easy way to generate original images that make their invitation even more unique.

With Apple Intelligence, creating unique event invitations is easy. Users can tap in to the built-in Image Playground experience to produce original images using concepts, descriptions, and people from their photo library. And when composing invitations, users can use Writing Tools to help find just the right turn of phrase to meet the moment.¹

Simple Ways to Manage and Join Events

Hosts get full control of their invite experience: They can easily view and manage their events, share invitations with a link, review RSVPs, and choose the details they want included in the preview, like the event background or a home address. Guests can view and respond to an invitation using the new iPhone app or on the web without needing an iCloud+ subscription or an Apple Account. Attendees control how their details show up to others, and have the ability to leave or report an event at any time.

Hosts can easily view and manage their events, share invitations with a link, review RSVPs, and choose the details they want included in the preview, like the event background or a home address.

Additional iCloud+ Premium Features

In addition to event creation in Apple Invites, iCloud+ subscribers have access to many more premium features:

• Expanded storage allows users to keep large libraries of original, high-resolution photos, videos, and files safe in iCloud, and easily accessible across all of their devices and the web.
• Private Relay keeps browsing in Safari entirely private from network providers, websites, and even Apple.
• Hide My Email generates unique, random email addresses whenever needed.
• HomeKit Secure Video allows users to capture and review home security footage in an end-to-end encrypted format.
• Custom email domains enable users to personalise their iCloud email address.

Family Sharing allows users to share their iCloud+ subscription with up to five people at no extra cost.

Users can learn more about subscribing to iCloud+ at apple.com/icloud, with plans starting at just INR 75.

Availability

Apple Invites is available today as a free download from the App Store for all iPhone models running iOS 18 or later, and can be accessed on the web at icloud.com/invites. Some features are not available in all regions or in all languages. For more information, visit apple.com/ios/feature-availability.

¹Apple Intelligence is available on iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max running iOS 18.2 and later, and can be accessed in most regions around the world when the device and Siri language are set to localised English for Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, the U.K., or the U.S

BHIM App will be Available on iOS in 10 Days

BHIM, the unified app for UPI-based payments launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 30th last year, has been generating a lot of buzz since its launch. According to a recent tweet put up by Amitabh Kant, CEO, Niti Aayog, the BHIM app has been successful in crossing 3 million downloads in just five days since its launch with over 500,000 transactions done. But, unfortunately, iOS users have been missing out on all the action since the app was only available for Android users. Well, not anymore.

The BHIM app, which has been developed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), is expected to make its iOS debut in about 10 days from now. Along with the iOS version, the app, which is currently only available in Hindi and English, will also come out with several more multilingual versions.

BHIM in the BHIM app stands for Bharat Interface for Money. The app, which is topping the Google Play Store charts in India just a few days after its launch, has been named BHIM after Babasaheb Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar.

The app allows payments via the United Payments Interface (UPI), which makes sure that money is debited or credited directly to a user’s bank account. For those users who don't have UPI on their bank accounts yet, BHIM also supports transfers via MMID and IFSC code. UPI payments is preferred as against any other method as it only requires a Virtual Payee Address and a user doesn’t have to remember and share his/her bank details, thus reducing the risks of any fraud or theft. BHIM is also expected to support Aadhaar-based payments in the future.



The BHIM app binds together with the user’s device and mobile number. The users are required to set up a pin to login into the BHIM app each time they want to use it. There's another pin called the UPI Pin, which is required to carry out the transactions on the app.

For those sceptical about using the app due to the recent fraud and theft cases regarding mobile payments, the BHIM app developers have a three factors of authentication at place. There's one that binds the app with the device and mobile number, the second one that requires a login pin, and finally, the third one in which a separate authentication pin is required. To make the security tighter, even for regenerating their UPI Pin, a user is required to have access to their debit card details.

The government has also decided to provide UPI payments integration to USSD platform where a user can just simply dial *99# from their feature phones or even smartphones and carry out UPI based transactions without having to depend on the internet. Since India has an internet penetration of just 34.8 %, this move was well-needed.

What's interesting to note is that Paytm, one of the most famous and used mobile wallets in India after the demonetisation phase is also supporting UPI to let users load their wallets. As previously stated, UPI is a direct bank-to-bank payment method, but for now the BHIM app has put a daily limit of Rs. 20,000.

[Top Image: digit.in]

Amid Demonetization, PayTM Delists Its App From Apple Play Store

Trying to find PayTM on your iOS device? Well, keep trying but you ain't going to find it. The popular e-wallet app whose popularity grew off the charts after November 8 demonetisation announcement has delisted its iPhone and iPad apps on the Apple’s App Store after it came across some bugs and technical issues.

The latest from the company on the issue is, that it has pushed an update for the app and is just waiting for Apple's approval now.

Enjoying the position of India’s largest mobile wallet app with over 170 million registered users, PayTM was very enthusiastic about the whole demonetisation drive and pledged its support the very next day of the announcement when it printed page long advertisements regarding the same in almost all national newspapers. But, now it seems, the e-wallet app hasn't been successful in managing such a large inflow of new users.

The disappearance of the app from the Apple App Store came just a few hours after the service suffered from an outage on Tuesday. In fact, the service wasn't so smooth for some users even yesterday.

The delisting of the app from the App Store has sent almost everyone in a tizzy as even when an update is awaiting an approval from Apple, the app's older version still remains available in the Apple store for download. So, why did PayTM go with the delisting option is indeed a curios puzzle.

According to company's statement on its blog,"Today we found a bug in our iOS App where certain app users were not able to pay thereby hanging their app. Soon the system logged them out preventing them from further accessing their account."

"We have currently removed the app from the App Store to stop adding incremental new users to our existing base," said a PayTM spokeswoman.

Well, it seems, there's no end to the troubles of the Indian population dealing with the demonetisation surprise sprung on them by the Indian government.

Zoro.im- An App Like Skype, Viber and WhatsApp; Only Better

Communication is an art which can break or make a product/service and in today's age of technology, communication has acquired even more importance. Releasing the space that communication technologies have acquired and will be acquiring in the coming years, Jimmy Padia founded Bhavnagar-based startup zoro.im.

An all-in-one app for businesses as well individuals, zoro.im promises to deliver the best unified communication and collaboration experience. All this in addition to the calling and international roaming features that the app provides.

As mentioned above, zoro.im is available in two variants:

Zoro.im for individuals

• Free Sign-up from web or mobile device


• Chat or video call with your friends, family


• Call any where in world and pay as you go


• Roam free with zoro.im

Zoro.im for businesses

• Setup enterprise pbx in less than minutes


• Free sign-up for upto 10 users


• Complete unified communication and enterprise collaboration platform


• Works behind firewall or blockages

In order to make the app standout from its competitors like Skype For Business, Dialpad etc., the founder of zoro.im has consciously focused on architecting an app for mobile first users. Developed with next generation communication technologies, zoro.im for businesses is extremely easy to setup and use when compared to Skype for business. Further, the international calling feature offered by the app is also significantly cheaper when compared to its Skype counterpart. In addition to this, zoro.im also offers its users with integration with document management system feature, something which is yet not available in Skype. Zoro.im also offers it users with a low bandwidth option for audio and video calling.

While like zoro.im, other companies are also offering cloud based communication platform (pbx), but their mobile apps are very basic in design and interface and only offer calling features. On the other hand, zoro.im offers feature-rich apps, chat, app to app calling, RCS and collaboration.

One can Login or sign-up to zoro.im from multiple devices at the same time. It offers a truly all-platform support and works in Web browser, Android, iOS, Windows, Linux, Mac.



In order to make sure that the app doesn't end up taking a lot of space in its user's phones, Jimmy has kept the app feather-light. The app takes only 15 MB of a user's mobile memory as compared to 100+ MB of skype. Further, while the technical architecture of Skype ends up gobbling a lot of CPU and network resources, zoro.im consumes less battery and CPU.

The app, which was launched in September this year, has managed to attract more than 400 downloads till date, a number which is quite decent.

The startup, which hasn't received any funding as of now, is currently doing beta testing of the app. It is interacting with 5 partners with combined capacity of 100,000+ enterprise users.

[caption id="attachment_111396" align="aligncenter" width="700"]                                                                       Jimmy Padia at THE INDIA IT SHOW 2016[/caption]

According to Jimmy, who has a versatile experience of over a decade spanning more than 20 countries and 5 continents, having made a significant impact in fortune 100 companies, the startup aims to have a global presence as their solution caters to an international/global market. Jimmy is quite hopeful that being a part of Barclays Techstar accelerator program will help them build their reach, reputation, and better their services to a global quality level.

Jimmy is an engineering graduate from one of the oldest Engineering colleges of Asia and ranked amongst top 10 colleges in India, V.J.T.I. Ex-General Electric IT Project leader with experience in delivering complex IT projects involving multiple Technologies and cross-location team. Being part of GE's elite IT leadership program, Jimmy has got opportunities to work across several top technology platforms. He is also a trained black belt in Lean and a Six Sigma and certified Green Belt in Six Sigma. He is also the CEO and Founder of JPC Technologies.

[Top Image: zoro.im]

Keypoint Adds Intenticons To Xploree Keyboard

Keypoint Technologies has added a new feature - Intenticons to the Xploree keyboard gallery.

The company announced the roll out of this new feature addition to Xploree, its revolutionary keyboard. The feature is available for users from September 2016.With Intenticons, Xploree promises to deliver a novel mobile discovery experience to its users. This new age feature merges users’ conversational context with predictive imagery. These images – Intenticons –are predictive visual manifestation of users’needs even as the latter gesture, converse or type on the keyboard.

The images have been pieced together on the guiding principle of making information discovery on mobile more purposeful, sorted, and self-explanatory during the conversation. All research & development at Keypoint Technologies revolves around human reasoning and linguistics. Hence, the name for the new feature - ‘Intenticons’.

The Intenticons illustrate the combination of intents and imaginative icons through pre-defined images. They are intuitive and indicative, capable of guiding users towards relevant content, offers and services– in the same frame, at the tap of a key. The Intenticons will help and guide the Xploree user in multiple ways. To explain with some examples:

• Even as the user types “Flight” – a pop-up image of Tour operator Intenticoncan suggest flight deals



• As the user chats about food – Grocery Intenticoncan help him/her find nearby grocery options.



• the Art & Entertainment Intenticon can keep user updated with reviews of the latest Bollywood movie.

As of now KeyPoint has introduced Intenticons across 150 categories covering food, restaurant, grocery, fashion and travel. The company sees endless possibilities for delivering useful content to its users with the help of these images.

Sunil Motaparti, CEO KeyPoint Technologies says,“With Intenticons, we have introduced a novel visual trigger to assess and consume information at the tap of a finger. At that very precise moment within a conversation, which we call mobile interlude, it becomes utmost important to be able to switch to the information you need and come back to where you original are. With increasing usage of imagery language comprising of emojis and stickers, we see ‘Intenticons’ serving this very purpose for the Xploree consumers."

About KeyPoint Technologies

KeyPoint Technologies, the creator of Xploree and Adaptxt is an award-winning global linguistics innovator that enables intelligent communication between humans to the connected world—beyond mobile devices. KeyPoint was founded in 2004 in Glasgow Scotland, an epicenter of linguistics. The company has additional offices in India, Japan, China and the U.S., and is a trusted partner for OEMs, platform providers and developers.

Hyderabad Startup Develops An App Wich Can Send Private Messages In Any Messenger

Privacy was once considered the most priced feature of social media but with the technological advancements happening around, this feature has suffered a serious hit in its reputation. Nowadays, social media leaks have become a part of our lives. In order to make sure that our private messages remain private, a Hyderabad based startup has developed a special type of keyboard mobile app called StealthTap.

Using StealthTap, one can send PRIVATE Messages in any Mobile Chat MESSENGER.

Yes, any messenger. Almost all the tech products that we use nowadays, (Chat messengers, Social Media, keyboards, etc.), leave a very minimal opportunity for privacy. Understanding the need of privacy, at least in person to person messaging, the makers came up with StealthTap.

To all those thinking that StealthTap is like any other messaging app in the tech town, you're mistaken. The app wouldn't require you to add your friends on the app in order to carry out your private conversations. The app in fact, has the capability to turn any of the current messenger that you use the most, into a private messaging app.

The keyboard app is super easy and fun to use. Using the app, one can send private messages, share secrets or send sensitive and confidential data without any concern in any chat messenger be it WhatsApp, Kik, iMessage, Facebook Messenger or Hangouts. All you need is to replace the keyboard on your phone with StealthTap Keyboard. The app is available for both Android as well as iPhone users.



StealthTap keyboard uses ultra secure and virtually un-hackable AES-128 encryption to lock your messages

In the future, the app will have image encryption as well, in its offerings.

Launched on October 15, 2015, the app has already successfully added more than 500 users to its StealthTap family.

The app has been developed by Vinvar Soft Pvt. Ltd., a startup based out of Hyderabad, founded by Varun and Vinay. An alumnus of BITS, Pilani, Varun is a software engineer by profession with over six years of experience in mobile app development. His passion is to find easy tech solutions for everyday problems. On the other hand, Vinay is extremely passionate about developing iOS and Android applications. Having had experience in Moxtreme, KeyPoint technologies and Motorola , Vinay is currently handling the profiles of Product Manager and Mobile Application architect at StealthTap.

Hyderabad Startup Develops An App Wich Can Send Private Messages In Any Messenger

Privacy was once considered the most priced feature of social media but with the technological advancements happening around, this feature has suffered a serious hit in its reputation. Nowadays, social media leaks have become a part of our lives. In order to make sure that our private messages remain private, a Hyderabad based startup has developed a special type of keyboard mobile app called StealthTap.

Using StealthTap, one can send PRIVATE Messages in any Mobile Chat MESSENGER.

Yes, any messenger. Almost all the tech products that we use nowadays, (Chat messengers, Social Media, keyboards, etc.), leave a very minimal opportunity for privacy. Understanding the need of privacy, at least in person to person messaging, the makers came up with StealthTap.

To all those thinking that StealthTap is like any other messaging app in the tech town, you're mistaken. The app wouldn't require you to add your friends on the app in order to carry out your private conversations. The app in fact, has the capability to turn any of the current messenger that you use the most, into a private messaging app.

The keyboard app is super easy and fun to use. Using the app, one can send private messages, share secrets or send sensitive and confidential data without any concern in any chat messenger be it WhatsApp, Kik, iMessage, Facebook Messenger or Hangouts. All you need is to replace the keyboard on your phone with StealthTap Keyboard. The app is available for both Android as well as iPhone users.



StealthTap keyboard uses ultra secure and virtually un-hackable AES-128 encryption to lock your messages

In the future, the app will have image encryption as well, in its offerings.

Launched on October 15, 2015, the app has already successfully added more than 500 users to its StealthTap family.

The app has been developed by Vinvar Soft Pvt. Ltd., a startup based out of Hyderabad, founded by Varun and Vinay. An alumnus of BITS, Pilani, Varun is a software engineer by profession with over six years of experience in mobile app development. His passion is to find easy tech solutions for everyday problems. On the other hand, Vinay is extremely passionate about developing iOS and Android applications. Having had experience in Moxtreme, KeyPoint technologies and Motorola , Vinay is currently handling the profiles of Product Manager and Mobile Application architect at StealthTap.

Kolkata Ed-Tech Startup Arch Is A Safer Networking Of Teachers, Students & Parents

The primitive years of a child are the foundation of what he/she will grow up to become in future. These are the years when they need extra attention, guidance and care to grow up to become a successful individual. In order to help parents and teachers achieve this for their children and students respectively, a Kolkata based startup has developed an app called Arch-The Way.

Arch is a safe and free way for teachers to connect with their students & parents on their smartphones. Not only will the teachers be able to maintain a constant contact with the students and their parents but they will also be able to share files and broadcasts messages to the entire class. Further, the students, teachers and parents will also be able to share feedbacks privately with each other.

With Arch, Teachers can broadcast messages & files to the entire class or receive feedback from the student parents privately. Some of the other feature of Arch are:

• Messaging: Teachers can send messages like major class updates homework reminder, exam updates, emergency messages etc to their students or parents. They can also send messages to individual Student/Parent for sensitive issues like fees reminders or complains.




• Files: Teachers have ability to send Images, audios, video, along with Ppt, Doc & Pdf up to 100 mb. This makes sharing study resources very easy for them.




• Future Scheduling: Teachers can plan their week ahead. All future updates will be sent automatically as scheduled.




• Feedback: Teachers can receive feedback privately from the students & parents & respond to them, if necessary, at their convenience

The app is based on the principle of simplicity, safety & privacy. Therefore in keeping line with this principle, parents/students and teachers aren't required to exchange phone numbers in order to connect on the app. Every teacher is assigned an unique class code to which the student/parents can subscribe via the app.

The app which is available on Android, Windows & iOS helps teachers to send major message updates regarding some important project work, assignments, class tests or emergency messages like extension of holidays and rescheduling of a major school event etc.

Arch-the way is a product of hard labour of Rudresh Chowdhary, Nikhil Bajoria, Soumya Malani, Abinash Biswal & Nitesh Agarwal. The comfortably bootstrapped startup isn't looking to raise funds for now as currently they just want to stay completely focused on their product.

"We cater to the problem of communication between teachers and their students or parents. There is a disconnect between them due to limited time and communication. We are trying to bridge the 'Gap' and increase the engagement. Our 'Feedback' feature actually helps an Educator to grow," said Rudresh Chowdhary, Arch.

This App By Ratnagiri Startup Allows You To Track Your Vehicles & Loved Ones

Does your job profile include attending late night parties or returning home at the wee hours of night? Do you have to then sit through long lectures of your loved ones who are always concerned about your whereabouts and stay awake till the time you have safely returned home? If this is an everyday occurrence in your life, then we just have the best solution which will put all the worries of you and your family regarding your safety when you're outside to rest for once in for all.

Operating out of a small town called Ratnagiri, situated in the Konkan regions of Maharashtra, the team of Kidhar Hai is providing people with a complete location ecosystem for people, vehicles and assets.

Kidhar Hai is a simple location tracking app for tracking the location of your friends, family members, vehicles and other kind of important things. The features of this app have been made by keeping personal safety and family safety in mind.

Searching for one single person in a crowded street, among a sea of people isn't only a little intimidating for the person standing there but it is equally a scary situation for the person searching for his/ her acquaintance. In such situations, we usually stick to the conventional phone calls and try to follow up with SMS’s and texts. But in reality, during such situations, such mediums come of a little help as both the communicator and the receiver aren't able to apprehend what the other one is trying to convey. This is where the Kidhar Hai app comes to the rescue.

The thing that sets the Kidhar Hai App apart from all its counterparts is that it gives us the luxury of using one single app to track our vehicles and loved ones. It's simple UI and battery saving options are an added advantage.

The app comes with a SOS button and a Real Time Location Update feature that helps your family know about your location 24x7. Further, it also comes with a Location sharing feature, using which you can help a person locate you easily in a crowded place.

Top 5 things that 'Kidhar Hai' app is trying to resolve through the application:

1. Increasing crimes against women
Solution – SOS Button
In case of help, women can tap the SOS button on the application and an alert with her location details will be sent to her near and dear ones as well as Kidhar Hai members in the vicinity.

2. Worried family and friends when you are travelling in an unknown city or area
Solution – Real Time Location Update
Users can allow family members or friends to get real time location update ensuring their safety.

3. Searching for someone in a crowded street or fixing a vantage point for car pooling.
Solution – Share a Location
Allows everyone a stress-free and hassle free travel to any new place through the application.

4. Managing on-field task force
Solution – Real Time Location Update
Kidhar Hai application fetches you real time location of your sales force thereby allowing you to access their location and assign them tasks accordingly.

5. Unnecessary delays, over speeding, maintenance eats up Fleet business profits.
Solution – Kidhar Hai Vehicle Tracker
You can even manage your logistics by embedding GPS enabled Kidhar Hai device in your vehicle and minimize their maintenance costs as well optimize their routes to ensure efficiency and better productivity.

The Kidhar Hai team has also considered the needs of non-smartphone users. They can get location updates via missed calls or SMS feature.

So, if you want to feel confident and safe, no matter where you go, download the Kidhar Hai Android/iOS App here.

Madhur Jain and Razin Naik came up with the idea for Kidhar Hai after witnessing the alarming rate at which crimes against women in our country were increasing. Madhur has previously worked with eNTesla and Infosys Technologies while Naik was an employee of HDFC Bank and Tata Consultancy Services.

Share Ideas & Suggestions For The PMO Mobile App On MyGov

MyGov, the citizen engagement platform of the Government of India announced the launch of a nation wide contest to build a mobile app for the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). This contest will be held across the country, at different institutions & colleges and will invite participation from people throughout India. Google will partner MyGov in this contest to build the PMO Mobile App. The contest will launch tomorrow at 5:00 pm on MyGov.in.

Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi's vision of Digital India is well appreciated. He has advocated the use of technology for bringing a positive change in people’s lives and to use technology to encourage innovation, aspiration & enhance connectivity. Speaking at an NASSCOM event yesterday Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi said, that he was planning to invite ideas from the public for developing a mobile app for his office. He added that the government would work with Google for selecting the best ideas to develop the app and it’s features.

Commenting on the initiative, Rajan Anandan, Vice President and Managing Director, Google India & South-East Asia, "We announced about five months ago that we will contribute on the Digital India initiative and the app development contest is a step in that direction. We are very excited to be a part of the Prime Minister’s vision and would urge every Indian to come forward and participate in the app development contest and become a cohesive part of governance and decision making in the country."

The contest has been divided into three phases: the first phase will seek ideas from the public on what they would like to see in the mobile app for the PMO, the second phase will involve building wireframes, and the final phase will include short listing, judging and building the app.

Talking about the announcement, Shri Gaurav Dwivedi, CEO, MyGov said, "Through the PMO app contest we wish to use technology effectively to encourage innovation, aspiration and enhance connectivity. We want to provide every citizen access to the PMO through a mobile device. And since this is an app for the people, we are inviting people to submit ideas on the features they would like to see in their PMO's mobile app."

Chetan Krishnaswamy, Country Head- Public Policy at Google India added, "To realise the Government’s Digital India vision, we are collaborating with MyGov to develop a mobile app for the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) through a contest. With this we wish to support the Government’s agenda and provide every citizen access to the PMO's office through a mobile device."

Here is how you can be a part of building the PMO mobile app.

• Have an idea on what you would like to see as a feature in the mobile app, share it on www.mygov.in.The features can be around i) The kind of Information you want to see from the PMO - i.e. latest updates. ii) Interaction with the PMO. Submit your idea, or vote for an idea now on www.mygov.in . Last date for submitting ideas or voting is 12th March. The shortlisted features will be a part of the mobile app.



• Once the idea is in, the next step is to build the app with the shortlisted features. Register your team and submit your wireframes and be the chosen one to develop a mobile app for the PMO. Ten wireframes will be shortlisted to compete for the development phase.



• In the final stage, five finalists will be chosen by the jury, to compete for the ultimate prize of making the Prime Minister Office’s mobile app. These finalists will be mentored by Google, the technical partner of the contest.

YouTube For Kids Launched By Google

Children nowadays know how to operate smartphones even before they start crawling. By the time they’re 2 or 3, they know better about their parent's electronic devices than the parents themselves. Earlier, the kids were hugely dependent on Encyclopedia and their parents to provide them with knowledge about certain new things and topics but with Internet, all this has changed.

Nowadays if they need answers for any of their query or want to learn something new, they head straight to internet. While Internet has become children's' best friend, it has become a worrying point in their parents’ lives. There's a plethora of content available on the net which might not be appropriate for young kids. Keeping this in mind, Google, the internet giant, has taken some steps in order to change that downward frown on parent's head into an upward smile.

Taking first step in this direction, Google has launched YouTube Kids. The California based company has been working on the concept for a year now. The internet giant worked closely with parents on this project as they wanted to create a family-friendly version of the video sharing site YouTube. The new YouTube Kids is said to be simpler for kids to understand. It also boosts of a bigger and better interface.



The application can be downloaded from the Google Play Store and Apple App store. The internet giant has not divulged any details about the desktop version of the app yet.

The selection of videos on YouTube Kids is limited to what the Internet giant believes is "appropriate for the whole family". Music, Explore, learning and shows are the four channels and play list categories available for the children’s version of the video sharing website.

One can simply search whatever content one is looking for in the app. The application even comes with voice search for kids who can’t type or spell. Children can search for children’s shows, mathematics lessons and a lot of DIY arts and crafts videos. Apparently, there are a lot of train videos available for kids.

The App also comes with a number of parental controls. The app lets parents set a timer in the app which helps them in curtailing their children’s screen time. It even allows parents to turn off a video’s sound effects and background music to keep things quieter. The parents can even disable the search option in the app to limit their kids to videos available on the app’s home screen. There is also a feedback section in the app where parents can provide their opinions and suggestions about the app.

YouTube For Kids Launched By Google

Children nowadays know how to operate smartphones even before they start crawling. By the time they’re 2 or 3, they know better about their parent's electronic devices than the parents themselves. Earlier, the kids were hugely dependent on Encyclopedia and their parents to provide them with knowledge about certain new things and topics but with Internet, all this has changed.

Nowadays if they need answers for any of their query or want to learn something new, they head straight to internet. While Internet has become children's' best friend, it has become a worrying point in their parents’ lives. There's a plethora of content available on the net which might not be appropriate for young kids. Keeping this in mind, Google, the internet giant, has taken some steps in order to change that downward frown on parent's head into an upward smile.

Taking first step in this direction, Google has launched YouTube Kids. The California based company has been working on the concept for a year now. The internet giant worked closely with parents on this project as they wanted to create a family-friendly version of the video sharing site YouTube. The new YouTube Kids is said to be simpler for kids to understand. It also boosts of a bigger and better interface.



The application can be downloaded from the Google Play Store and Apple App store. The internet giant has not divulged any details about the desktop version of the app yet.

The selection of videos on YouTube Kids is limited to what the Internet giant believes is "appropriate for the whole family". Music, Explore, learning and shows are the four channels and play list categories available for the children’s version of the video sharing website.

One can simply search whatever content one is looking for in the app. The application even comes with voice search for kids who can’t type or spell. Children can search for children’s shows, mathematics lessons and a lot of DIY arts and crafts videos. Apparently, there are a lot of train videos available for kids.

The App also comes with a number of parental controls. The app lets parents set a timer in the app which helps them in curtailing their children’s screen time. It even allows parents to turn off a video’s sound effects and background music to keep things quieter. The parents can even disable the search option in the app to limit their kids to videos available on the app’s home screen. There is also a feedback section in the app where parents can provide their opinions and suggestions about the app.

Need Pro Workspaces With Fast Wi-Fi & Privacy Then 'BreathingRoom' Is Just The Right Tool For You

A network of on-demand professional workspaces, available hourly, Breathingroom provides you your own professional space - when you need one, where you need one. What it does is help you think and prepare for your next meeting in a quiet space or to let your creative juices flow in or help you cut travel expenses across the city or recharge with a productive power nap.

They've chosen to go Uber-style, mobile-only; where with just a tap, professionals would be able to book a place for themselves in Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Delhi, and Hong Kong. The payment is seamless with receipts emailed. Also, OpenSpaces are FREE!

One can use BreathingRoom's iOS app and Android app to search and rent professional workspaces along with everything you need to work.



BreathingRooms are designed for work, with Wi-Fi, privacy, and a quiet environment; Several also offer additional amenities. No two BreathingRooms are alike: each is a unique space that embodies the neighborhood or business district its located in; for instance, a BreathingRoom in Mumbai’s Bandra-Kurla complex offers a top­floor office with commanding views, while another in Colaba utilizes a reserved portion of an art gallery for a creative think space. Other interesting BreathingRooms include a yoga studio in Bangalore, an office in the best new serviced workspace in Hong Kong, a Pune tea house meeting room with state-of-the-art tech, and a private space within a startup’s office in the heart of Gurgaon. Since the service’s launch in October 2014, BreathingRooms have been used by customers for focused on­the­go work, ideation and breakout sessions, as temporary offices for mobile sales teams, and even for team off sites.

Kaushal Sanghavi, who is one of the founding members of the company, happens to be an alumnus of UC Berkeley and the Indian School of Business. He had been working in an educational venture named CK-12 before. He says "We're partnering with some exciting professional organizations such as Big Data, Floh, and some others. 45% of the knowledge economy spends at least one day a week away from their desks, they need to get work done, and a solution like BreathingRoom can help make things easier."

Jacky Chow, the other co-founder, has previously been associated with Amazon and Bridgewater Associates and has degrees from UCLA and Carnegie Mellon. He tells "We are trying to emphasize on little things that make a huge impact on our customers. Providing a laptop charger or any random stationery item when the client needs it goes a long way in asking a name for ourselves in the market."

A fine example of how much effort is put into bringing a workspace for a client is Yogisthaan, a yoga studio, health food cafe, organic store, and guesthouse all in one. Founded simply as a place for soulful living, Yogisthaan is open to all who stumble upon this rare gem to enjoy working surrounded by the calming energy of attentiveness and consciousness. With reliable Wi-Fi, a homey atmosphere, and fresh, made-to-order food, it is the perfect host for a BreathingRoom.

The customer speaks - "I needed a place where I could make my conference calls and a BreathingRoom worked just fine. Was so damn easy - it took me less than 30 seconds to book one and the click-to-call feature was nifty and useful. BreathingRoom seems to have everything I need to get work done", says Harneet Kaur who is the global strategy head in IBM.

Pparke Solving Vehicle Parking Problem In India

If traffic woes aren't enough, commuters have to deal with the lack of parking space. How many times have we gone around circles trying to find that prized parking slot for our vehicles? 'Pparke', a mobile application developed by Pristech Analytics which was founded by Shampa Ganguly, an IIM-B alumna, and Pritam Ganguly in August 2013, has devised a way to reserve a parking place in advance and in turn has lessened this herculean task. The company is being incubated at the NS Raghavan Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning (NSRCEL) at IIM-Bangalore.

Shampa Ganguly explained that the Cloud-based concept available on the Google Store as an app for download as well as on the Internet is mainly for parking availability information in any part of the Bangalore city. “You pay in advance and reserve a parking slot for yourself. Right now we are charging the same amount as the parking provider charges. Some malls have already registered with us and we have around 200 people using it so far. We plan to do this in schools and offices which are closed on weekends, especially in the heart of the city, she said.” she added.

Shampa comes with rich 10 years of IT experience in organizations like Daimler AG, Target Corporation & Geometric Software. She has played critical leadership role in implementation, project & program management, business consulting at both domestic and overseas locations like US, UK, Germany and China. Pritam (Co-Founder, CTO) has 14+ years of IT experience, in the field of semiconductor in Conexant Systems, Cortina Systems and Brocade communications. He has been involved in mission critical role and projects and been the pioneer in setting technical and design centre at domestic and overseas locations like US, Taiwan &China.

[caption id="attachment_98197" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Team PParke[/caption]

"Opportunity in this area is very vast and the market is still ripe. Organized parking sector is a more than $40 million industry, while unorganised parking sector is a more than $300 million industry, and growing at a combined annual growth rate of around 20-30%", says Pritam.

With 7 full time members and 3 consultants based out of Bangalore, Pparke is planning to expand to 4 cities in 3 years in India and raise fund up to $2 million in next 6-9months. Also, they are looking forward to expand the team to 20 in next 2 years.

They provide the user with information that includes the lanes where the parking spots are available, and parking updates for the future. Also, the app serves as a platform to reserve the spot for off-street parking facility and help the user with location-specific information and custom retail offerings, providing the parking operator information related to forthcoming parking trends, revenue management, slot management and pricing decisions in a cloud based platform. To obtain information and guide people to the nearest slot, Pparke obtains their information from parking sensors, CCTV and cloud systems.

Pristech Analytics has undertaken the responsibility to merge technology and analytics for improved business. And with Pparke connecting people with neighbourhood parking, they are poised to help their customers provide a rationalized parking experience in the process; make city more environment-friendly. The company is in talks with Traffic Police in order to implement card system for the 'pay and park' system. They are also in process of joining hands with Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike for a partnership.

Being awarded as the top 10 promising start ups at Anthah Prerana 2014 organized by Tie Bangalore has been one of the company’s significant achievements. We wish them all the luck and success.

Voice App 'Ringo' Allows To Make Overseas Calls Without Internet

Many of us have our near and dear ones abroad; people with whom we want to stay in touch with 24x7 but the high international calls rates just don’t allow us the luxury of this. We still think twice before calling someone abroad as we know even a short Birthday call can cost us a few hundred bucks. If you are one of those who have their brother, sister, boyfriend, girlfriend or any other acquaintance in abroad because of which you end with a really big phone bill at the end of every month, we have great news in store for you.

Ringo, a mobile application launched by Directi, allows users to make international calls without Wi-Fi, internet or carrier minutes at rates that are about seventy percent lower than those currently offered by mobile phone companies and creditbased calls over Viber or Skype. The huge advantage that Ringo has over all its counterparts is that the receiver is not required to download the app to receive a call.

According to Bhavin Turakhia, founder, Directi, the model has a huge potential of disrupting India’s market for overseas calls. It is estimated that the country spends some $2 billion annually on international calls.

The charges for making overseas calls via the app will be comparable to the local call rates. Making a call to the United States through the Ringo app will cost a user Rs. 1.08 a minute, while a Skype call costs Rs. 1.45 a minute and a telecom company charges Rs.8 for the same.



Once a user makes an international call using the app, the application dials out a local call the user in India and another local call to the overseas user and then connects the two over reliable carriers. In order to make this system work, Directi has partnered with many local and foreign carriers through aggregators. The Mumbai based company buys carrier minutes and pays interconnect charges for calls that terminate on the telcos’ networks.

The users even have the luxury of adding cash to the app for making international calls via debit, credit cards or net banking. The call charges then don’t get deducted from the main balance of the phone. The money added to the app stays valid for a year from the day the cash was added.

The application is available for Windows, Android and iOS devices. Ringo was launched in the year 2014 and is currently available in 14 countries: USA, UK, Australia, Switzerland, Belgium, Spain, Canada, Singapore, Germany, Poland, Hong Kong, Netherlands, Italy and Mexico.

Voice App 'Ringo' Allows To Make Overseas Calls Without Internet

Many of us have our near and dear ones abroad; people with whom we want to stay in touch with 24x7 but the high international calls rates just don’t allow us the luxury of this. We still think twice before calling someone abroad as we know even a short Birthday call can cost us a few hundred bucks. If you are one of those who have their brother, sister, boyfriend, girlfriend or any other acquaintance in abroad because of which you end with a really big phone bill at the end of every month, we have great news in store for you.

Ringo, a mobile application launched by Directi, allows users to make international calls without Wi-Fi, internet or carrier minutes at rates that are about seventy percent lower than those currently offered by mobile phone companies and creditbased calls over Viber or Skype. The huge advantage that Ringo has over all its counterparts is that the receiver is not required to download the app to receive a call.

According to Bhavin Turakhia, founder, Directi, the model has a huge potential of disrupting India’s market for overseas calls. It is estimated that the country spends some $2 billion annually on international calls.

The charges for making overseas calls via the app will be comparable to the local call rates. Making a call to the United States through the Ringo app will cost a user Rs. 1.08 a minute, while a Skype call costs Rs. 1.45 a minute and a telecom company charges Rs.8 for the same.



Once a user makes an international call using the app, the application dials out a local call the user in India and another local call to the overseas user and then connects the two over reliable carriers. In order to make this system work, Directi has partnered with many local and foreign carriers through aggregators. The Mumbai based company buys carrier minutes and pays interconnect charges for calls that terminate on the telcos’ networks.

The users even have the luxury of adding cash to the app for making international calls via debit, credit cards or net banking. The call charges then don’t get deducted from the main balance of the phone. The money added to the app stays valid for a year from the day the cash was added.

The application is available for Windows, Android and iOS devices. Ringo was launched in the year 2014 and is currently available in 14 countries: USA, UK, Australia, Switzerland, Belgium, Spain, Canada, Singapore, Germany, Poland, Hong Kong, Netherlands, Italy and Mexico.

The Coolest New Year Resolution Apps

It's still the first week of the New Year and many of us would have already realised our resolution to come to ground zero reality of failing apart. While others would go that extra mile to keep up with the hope of seeing it turning into reality, it has never been so easy. We all know that.

The most common resolutions people usually make are getting fit, save money, get a better job, get rid of any debt, quit smoking or alcohol and some more on similar lines. We bring to you some of the coolest apps that would help in keeping these resolutions intact.

1. Concur

 


It is a cloud based service that updates and upgrades automatically. It keeps a track of how your company spends money- travel, expenses, invoices-matter and not just the bottom line. It also helps with productivity in the office and on the road. And they can give you all the information you need to plan for the future. Their customers range from small businesses to the Fortune 500 and can scale up or down based on your company's size, spending goals, policy complexity and travel program needs. A travel expense report can also be generated at the customer’s convenience.

Download - Concur is available for Android and iOS platform based devices for free.

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2. Quitter

 


Being a "Quitter" has never been so rewarding! This FREE application will keep track of how long you've been smoke-free and how much money you have saved since giving up smoking. Quitting smoking can be one of the most difficult things you will do but a quick glance at the dollar signs on your iPhone will help you stay on track. Go ahead, be a Quitter. Not only will it help you determine the real reasons behind your smoking habits, but it is designed to help motivate you through its character's messages, built-in achievement system, and your social network.

Download - Quitter is available for Android & iOS phones.

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3. Soworkit

 


Sworkit is the app for working out anywhere. Simply choose what part of your body to focus on and how long you have. Sworkit will create a custom circuit training workout using just your bodyweight. Using customizable settings one can set daily and weekly goals. You can also challenge friends on Facebook & Twitter.

Download - Sworkit is available for Android & iOS phones.

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4. Monster

 


Monster is an app best known as a job search tool. The Pre-Interview section of the app is packed with helpful advice and interview strategies, including tips on how to conduct pre-interview research, ask the right questions, and use proper follow-up etiquette. Additionally, the app can offer advice on how to dress for your interview, and automatically send you reminders as the big day approaches.

Download - Monster is available for Android & iOS phones.

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5. My Minutes

 


My Minutes is a time-management app. To get started, you simply have to set up a goal. Using "at least" and "at most" goals like Spend 'at least' 1 hour getting exercise, or 'at most' 30 minutes checking e-mail, My Minutes delivers a two-pronged boost to your productivity. You cut down on wasted time, and spend that time being more productive. Daily starters, Editable goals, Motivational streaks are some of the highlighted features.

'Ruplee' Make It Easy To Dine At Restaurant Cashless And Pay With Your Mobile

Eating outside is fun but waiting for the bill to arrive later is a punishment. I’m sure thousands of us have had this dreadful experience of waiting for a long time after a meal and looking expectedly towards the waiter to arrive with the bill. Many of us might even have had a feeling of fleeing without paying the bill. Natasha Jain once had a similar experience in San Francisco, where she had to wait for a painful 20 minutes to get her bill. This experience of hers set her thinking and after a lot of thinking, she came up with Ruplee.

The Ruplee application has been conceived to make payments easier using smart devices. The app makes it super simple to make payments at a restaurant and also maintains a record of all the payments. The app is very user-friendly. The user just has to check-in with the app whenever he/she goes to a restaurant. This check-in notifies the merchant. After the user has enjoyed his meal, all he has to do is ask for the bill and pay using his credit or debit card.



The Ruplee app also helps you in keeping a check on your finances by maintaining a record of all your past payments. Splitting the bill when out with the friends is an added advantage of this app. On the top of it, you are also provided with discounts upto 25% on your next visit’s bill at certain drinking and eating establishments, once you have installed the app.

The app is free to download for Android and iOS devices.

The app has not only come as a boon for the customers but it is also of great help to the merchants. It provides them with ease, flexibility and lack of usual surcharges on card payments. Restaurant owners can even export the transactions between two dates in the form of excel sheets from the website and then use it for analyzing the customer’s preferences and run analytics.

Natasha Jain, a self-raised entrepreneur, is the woman behind this wonderful application. She has a Masters degree in Management Science from Stanford University. Before setting up Ruplee, she has even managed the much successful FreshMentors initiative that she founded in 2012. FreshMentors acts as an online college mentoring platform. Ruplee is headquartered with office in Gurgaon.

The app has been built by payment and security experts and is very safe to use. All your credit/debit card data is safely stored and encrypted. The payments are only authorized once the user has entered his CVV and 3D secure pin.

The eight-member development team behind Ruplee based out of Gurgaon have done a spectacular job of keeping as much data as possible on the device, which eliminates the need for a very fast internet connection, required in order to provide the 3D secure pin made mandatory by the RBI.

'Ruplee' Make It Easy To Dine At Restaurant Cashless And Pay With Your Mobile

Eating outside is fun but waiting for the bill to arrive later is a punishment. I’m sure thousands of us have had this dreadful experience of waiting for a long time after a meal and looking expectedly towards the waiter to arrive with the bill. Many of us might even have had a feeling of fleeing without paying the bill. Natasha Jain once had a similar experience in San Francisco, where she had to wait for a painful 20 minutes to get her bill. This experience of hers set her thinking and after a lot of thinking, she came up with Ruplee.

The Ruplee application has been conceived to make payments easier using smart devices. The app makes it super simple to make payments at a restaurant and also maintains a record of all the payments. The app is very user-friendly. The user just has to check-in with the app whenever he/she goes to a restaurant. This check-in notifies the merchant. After the user has enjoyed his meal, all he has to do is ask for the bill and pay using his credit or debit card.



The Ruplee app also helps you in keeping a check on your finances by maintaining a record of all your past payments. Splitting the bill when out with the friends is an added advantage of this app. On the top of it, you are also provided with discounts upto 25% on your next visit’s bill at certain drinking and eating establishments, once you have installed the app.

The app is free to download for Android and iOS devices.

The app has not only come as a boon for the customers but it is also of great help to the merchants. It provides them with ease, flexibility and lack of usual surcharges on card payments. Restaurant owners can even export the transactions between two dates in the form of excel sheets from the website and then use it for analyzing the customer’s preferences and run analytics.

Natasha Jain, a self-raised entrepreneur, is the woman behind this wonderful application. She has a Masters degree in Management Science from Stanford University. Before setting up Ruplee, she has even managed the much successful FreshMentors initiative that she founded in 2012. FreshMentors acts as an online college mentoring platform. Ruplee is headquartered with office in Gurgaon.

The app has been built by payment and security experts and is very safe to use. All your credit/debit card data is safely stored and encrypted. The payments are only authorized once the user has entered his CVV and 3D secure pin.

The eight-member development team behind Ruplee based out of Gurgaon have done a spectacular job of keeping as much data as possible on the device, which eliminates the need for a very fast internet connection, required in order to provide the 3D secure pin made mandatory by the RBI.

Zippr Simplifies Addresses By Creating Short Smart Codes

Do you have an address that is difficult for people to easily get? Does your food get delivered late because you've to spend a long time guiding the delivery boy lane by lane? Do you fear going to others home only because you will have to ask people on the street to get to the right address? Well, not anymore because an app called Zippr is here to bail you out of all these problems.

Zippr is a central location management application developed by Zippr Private Limted, a technology startup based in Hyderabad. The app works by shrinking a lengthy address into an eight digit alpha-numeric short code (e.g. ABCD1234) and easily share them with friends/vendors.

The app is available absolutely free of cost on Android, iOS, Windows and Blackberry.

Once you install Zippr app on your smartphone you will be able to see where you are on a map by clicking the add location tile on the Zippr app and save your location or you may want to fill the additional details about your address which could help someone to find you, thereafer you will be assigned a 8-digit short smart code which can be shared with anyone, either verbally via the phone or using the SMS and other messaging/social media tools.



Zippr Private Limited was founded by Aditya Vuchi in May 2013. With over 10 years of experience in the digital media domain, Zippr is Aditya's second successful startup.

"When I was in the US, I worked for a startup called Tribal Fusion, and realized how a standard address format (the address format in the US is consistent) allows great scale in communications, operations and logistics. Applying that philosophy of a standard format in India meant localizing the solution for our needs," said Aditya

Zippr was successful in raising $1 million funding from Indian Angel Network and a few other private investors in October this year.

"With me now on board, Aditya will have access to my network of contacts in the business to business space. I have invested in 23 startups so far. Hence, I will open up Zippr partnering my existing portfolio companies. Overall, Indian Angel Network as a network has substantial connects to accelerate growth momentum of Zippr. My one role would be to retain the focus on simplicity and listen to the users passionately," said Sanjay Mehta, the lead investor form the Indian Angel Network.

The app gives out different answers based on who is asking the question. For example, it might direct your friend with landmarks nearer to your place, a bank with your official postal address and combines both the landmarks and postal address for logistics and e-commerce firms.

According to Aditya, one of the pillars of Zippr is its privacy feature. It never reveals the owners identity. The company’s present goal is to make the app indispensable for everyone in India.