Hong Kong-based mobile brand, iVOOMi, has launched iVOOMi iPro in Indian market to expand its product portfolio at a price tag of just INR 3,999. The smartphone is said to be India’s first FullView (18:9) smartphone which is Flipkart exclusive available from today i.e. September 20.

On this smartphone purchase, Reliance Jio customers will receive a cashback of INR 2,200 on the smartphone purchase which will be credited after recharge with INR 198 or INR 299 prepaid pack.

Key Specifications of iVOOMi iPro

1. iVOOMi iPro features a 4.95 inch FWVGA+ Full View display with 18:9 screen ratio, Shatterproof
2. Powered by a 1.3 GHz quad-core MTK 6737 processor
3. Android Oreo 8.1 (Go edition) on top of Smart Me OS 3.0, GPU-Mali-T720
4. 1 GB RAM paired with 8 GB internal storage (expanded up to 128GB using the micro SD card)
5. 5-megapixel selfie camera at the front and a 5-megapixel rear camera with soft flash
6. Smartphone comes with facial recognition technology
7. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, USB OTG, 3G and 4G (with support for Band 40 used by some LTE networks in India)
8. Proximity sensor and gravity sensor are the sensors available on the device
9. Backed by a 2000 mAh battery and Dual SIM
10. Platinum Gold, Indie Blue and Matte Red color option/variants
11. Supports multiple audio formats, such as AAC, AMR, mp3 and WAV

Ashwin Bhandari, CEO, iVOOMi India, said on the launch of the smartphone, “After due diligence, and an extensive research, we realized that there is an ever-growing demand for entry level smartphones in the country. iVOOMi iPro has been designed keeping in mind the aspirations of a typical smartphone buyer in India who wants to own the best of technology without burning a hole in his pocket. This includes users who are switching from feature phones to smartphones but have a budget constraint. Bringing latest technology at the most competitive prices has been the core vision of the company. With this, we also decided to bring back our much-adored Shatterproof Display coupled with the in-demand AR Emoji.”

Ayyappan Rajagopal, Senior Director – Mobiles, Flipkart, said, “We at Flipkart are excited to have the latest Android Go phone iPro from iVOOMi on our platform. This is a wonderful addition to our suite of products in the sub 10K segment and has truly democratized technology for the masses. This is in line with our overall objective of ensuring everyone in India has access to great smartphone technology at every price point.”

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Oppo has launched Realme 1 smartphone, an Oppo’s sub-brand called Realme, which is said to give ‘real products at real price‘ in India. According to the company, the handset is a #makeinIndia concept.

Price of the Realme 1

1. 3GB RAM version at Rs 8,990
2. 6GB RAM version at Rs 13,990
3. 4GB+64GB version will be priced at Rs 10,990 (expected to be launched in June)

As of now, the Realme 1 comes in Solar Red and Diamond Black colour options. There will be a Moonlight Silver variant also that will be coming in June. The smartphone will compete against the Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1, Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro and Honor 7X.

Beginning of sale

The handset will go on sale by May 25 at 12 noon on Amazon India website. Buyers will get Reliance Jio benefits of up to Rs 4,850. There will be added 5% cashback offers for SBI card holders.

Specifications of the Realme 1

1. Features a 6-inch full HD+ screen 2160X1080p resolution with 84.75% screen-to-body ratio
2. Features the diamond cut design on the back
3. Made of 12-layer of nanotech giving it a bright and polished frame
4. Powered by MediaTek’s 12nm octa-core Helio P60 processor, which is claimed to improve the speed by 50% and also assist in temperature controlling of the device
5. Storage versions — 3GB+32GB variant and 6GB+128GB internal storage
6. Android Oreo 8.1 based on Oppo’s Colour OS
7. 3410 mAh battery with AI support that is said to help the device’s performances by analyzing the users’ usage pattern
8. 13 MP rear camera and an 8 MP front facing camera. The cameras are capable of supporting AR stickers within the app and offer Bokeh and Vivid mode
9. Equipped with Oppo’s AI Beauty 2.0 Technology, which is said to recognize 296 facial spots in the users’ face to enhance selfies
10. Device is capable to endure extreme weather conditions viz. -15 degrees to 55-degree Celsius, both for a period of up to 7 days

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Apple Watch Series 3 comes with a built-in LTE and GPS is available in Indian market and can be purchased from the country’s two most prominent telecom operators – Reliance Jio and Airtel. Both regular and Nike+ variants of the Apple smartwatches comes with cellular connectivity which allows users to use as a standalone device for making voice calls and sending text messages both.

It comes with Siri integration and standalone notifications support which means it can be used as an alternative to the iPhone.

Apple Watch Series 3 LTE Cellular Price in India

1. The 38mm size version of the Apple Watch is priced at Rs 39,080, while the 42mm variant will cost Rs 41,120
2. Apple Watch Nike+ (LTE+GPS) will start at Rs 39,130, and the 42mm variant will cost Rs 41,120
3. It comes with ceramic case will cost Rs 118,030 for the 32mm variant, while the 42mm size variant is priced at Rs 122,090

The smartwatches come with a virtual or e-SIM that mirrors the phone number you use on your iPhone. Apple Watch uses antenna designs for LTE connectivity. Airtel and Reliance Jio customers will not be charged for the services if they are on the company’s postpaid plan/Airtel MyPlan/Infinity Plan and Reliance Jio Network respectively.

When customers pair the Series 3 Cellular to their iPhone, they will be prompted to setup a cellular service and guided through a few simple steps.

Apple Watch Series 3 Cellular Specifications

1. The smartwatch runs on dual-core processor, an additional W2 processor helps deliver faster Bluetooth and wireless connectivity on Apple Watch Series 3 LTE.
2. LTE runs on the company’s WatchOS 4
3. WatchOS 4 brings native support for important applications such as Apple Music and Siri
4. Water-resistant with a rating of 50 meters under the ISO standard 22810:2010
5. Smartwatches can be paired with iPhone having iOS version 11.3 or above

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Reliance’s Jio Infocomm has now forayed into the banking business with a payments bank service and named it as Jio Payment Bank (Jio Payments Bank Limited), a joint venture between Reliance Industries and State Bank of India with a 70:30 per cent partnership between the two.

Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) is one of the 11 applicants for setting up payments bank in August 2015. Jio received the licence to start operation in March 2017, according to media reports.

The 11 unit as Payment Banks who got license, under Section 22 (1) of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 to carry on the business of payments bank in India, from RBI are-

• Aditya Birla Nuvo Limited
• Airtel M Commerce Services Limited
• Cholamandalam Distribution Services Limited
• Department of Posts
• Fino PayTech – Fino PayTech Limited
• National Securities Depository Limited
• Reliance Industries Limited (Jio Payment Bank)
• Shri Dilip Shantilal Shanghvi
• One97 Communications – PayTM Payment Bank
• Tech Mahindra Limited
• Vodafone m-Pesa Limited

What is a payments bank?

A payments bank is like any traditional bank but operating at a smaller scale. The only difference is that payments banks do not have any credit-providing service.

Telecom major Bharti Airtel was the first one to start payments bank services in India in November 2016. After a huge success during demonetization, PayTM also launched its payments bank services in May 2017.

FINO Payments Banks Limited started in June 2017. The Aditya Birla group’s Idea Payments Bank was started from February 22 this year. And now, Reliance JIO.

How are they different from traditional banks?

The Airtel payments banks offers the highest interest rate of 7.25% unlike the other traditional systems. PayTM payments bank offers an interest rate of 4 per cent on a savings account and 7 per cent on fixed deposits. Payments banks can accept deposits of up to Rs. 100,000 per account from individuals and small businesses.

Apart from the interest rates, payments banks offer zero balance accounts or no minimum balance accounts without any extra charge.

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Chinese consumer electronics and mobile communication company, Oppo brand under OPPO Electronics Corp., has finally launched its flagship smartphone Oppo F7 in India today in an event held in Mumbai. OPPO’s major product lines include smartphones, Blu-ray players and other electronic devices.

This newly launched baby is the successor to the Oppo F5, the highlight of this device is its whopping 25MP front-facing camera with Artificial Intelligence features, which the company is claiming to be the first on a camera smartphone.

The only real competition for the handset in this aspect comes from Vivo which is offering a slightly low 24MP selfie-camera in its recently launched Vivo V9.

Price & offers on Oppo F7

Oppo F7 is priced at Rs 21,990, for the 4GB RAM variant and Rs 26,990, for the 6GB RAM variant. Both the variants come in Solar Red, Blue and Moonlight Silver color options. There is also a Black diamond-cut edition of the Oppo F7.

The device will be available via flash sale only on April 2 online exclusively on Flipkart and offline on its 777 stores. The first sale of the handset will begin from April 9.

Specifications of Oppo F7

• 6.23-inch full-HD+ display with 1080×2280 pixel resolution and 19:9 aspect ratio.
• It has an iPhone X-like notch on the top.
• Processor- An 64-bit octa-core MediaTek Helio P60 processor paired.
• Storage options – 4GB of RAM with 64GB ROM and 6GB of RAM and 128GB ROM.
• Dual sim support and a dedicated microSD card support, with triple slots.
• AI Beauty 2.0-powered 25-megapixel front-facing camera with Sony 576 Sensor HDR.
• Single rear camera lens of 16-megapixel with LED flash, comes with AI recognition for up to 16 scenes. The camera also boasts of the Portrait and Vivid mode.
• Color OS 5.0 based on Android 8.1.
• Facial unlock feature.
• Battery- 3400mAh (offers 15 hours of battery backup on a single charge).
• Connectivity- 4G, VoLTE, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS.
• Fingerprint sensor at back

AI enabled device focuses on better color reproduction and detailing. As for the Artificial Intelligence features, the camera is capable of scanning more than 296 facial spots and arm and neck recognition as well. It is capable of differentiating the gender, age, skin tone, and skin type of the person in front of the camera. The AI-learning of the Oppo F7 recognizes the habit of the user and remembers it and does that automatically for them for their subsequent pictures. Another feature of the camera is its Vivid Mode, which is said to keep the face of the person natural but enhances the background. The camera of the Oppo F7 also comes with AR-based sticker support as well as group selfie-beautification capability.

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World’s most popular mobile payment service Samsung Pay by Samsung Electronics has been launched in Italy on March 22, 2018. With the addition of Italy, Samsung Pay now enables users in 21 countries to benefit from simple and secure payments almost anywhere including India.

In India, Samsung pay service was launched in March 22, 2017. The next country is France where Samsung Pay will be launched this year as per reports from Samsung .

Samsung’s commitment to transforming the mobile industry was recognized at the annual Global Mobile Awards (GLOMO Awards) during Mobile World Congress 2018, which awarded Samsung Pay ‘Best Mobile Innovation for Payment’. The service was praised not only for being innovative, but also for bringing consumers the world’s first integrated rewards program; each time users purchase with Samsung Pay, they can earn points to be exchanged for a variety of prizes.

Samsung Pay reward program is available in the U.S., Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan, Brazil and Spain only.

“We strive to deliver the best experiences to our customers. The rapid growth of Samsung Pay has been made possible by Samsung’s commitment to an open model of collaboration around the world, resulting in over 1,700 partnerships, including payment providers Visa and Mastercard®,” said Yongje Kim, Executive Vice President of Service Business Office, Mobile Communications Business at Samsung Electronics. “Its continued support for both MST and NFC payments has also enhanced adoption, enabling market access in countries that support either payment option.” added.

What Is Mobile Payment Service Samsung Pay?

Samsung Pay is a simple and secure mobile payment service that is available almost anywhere you can swipe or tap your eligible payment card. By combining Near Field Communication (NFC) technology and its proprietary Magnetic Secure Transmission (MST) technology, Samsung Pay is the most widely accepted mobile payment solution on the market.

Mobile Payment Service Samsung Pay Security

Samsung Pay operates with three levels of security: fingerprint or iris authentication (available for Galaxy S9 and S9+, Galaxy Note8, Galaxy S8 and S8+), card tokenization and Samsung’s defense-grade mobile security platform, Samsung Knox. Additionally, Samsung Pay makes mobile payments easy – to launch, a user needs to swipe up on an eligible Samsung Galaxy smartphone, select the card, authenticate using a fingerprint, iris scanning or PIN and bring the phone near the point-of-sale terminal.

Countries and Samsung Pay Launch Date

Recently in Feb, 2018 Samsung India and Reliance Jio has tied up for the nation wide cellular IoT network.

Most recently in March, 2018 Samsung has acquired Kngine – an Egyptian AI search engine startup.

(With the inputs from Samsung and Wikipedia)

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As per the reports by Google (Alphabet Inc.) and Boston Consulting Group, India is headed for an exponential increase in digital payments methods and the digital payments industry in India becoming Asia’s third-largest economy. It is estimated that it will grow by 10 times to touch $500 billion by 2020 and contribute 15% of gross domestic product (GDP), the report predicted.

Introduction of smartphones, the entry of several non-banking institutions offering payment services, consumer readiness to adopt digital payments, progressive changes in the regulatory framework will power the trend, it said.

Also, the Digital India program is a flagship program of the Government of India with a vision to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy. “Faceless, Paperless, Cashless” is one of professed role of Digital India.

As part of promoting cashless transactions and converting India into less-cash society, various modes of digital payments are available as below-

1. Banking Cards (Debit / Credit / Cash / Travel / Others)

Banking cards offer consumers more security, convenience, and control than any other payment method. The wide variety of cards available – including credit, debit and prepaid – offers enormous flexibility, as well. These cards provide 2 factor authentication for secure payments e.g secure PIN and OTP. RuPay, Visa, MasterCard are some of the example of card payment systems. Payment cards give people the power to purchase items in stores, on the Internet, through mail-order catalogues and over the telephone. They save both customers and merchants’ time and money, and thus enable them for ease of transaction.

2. Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD)

The innovative payment service *99# works on Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) channel. This service allows mobile banking transactions using basic feature mobile phone, there is no need to have mobile internet data facility for using USSD based mobile banking. It is envisioned to provide financial deepening and inclusion of under banked society in the mainstream banking services.

*99# service has been launched to take the banking services to every common man across the country. Banking customers can avail this service by dialing *99#, a “Common number across all Telecom Service Providers (TSPs)” on their mobile phone and transact through an interactive menu displayed on the mobile screen. Key services offered under *99# service include, inter-bank account to account fund transfer, balance inquiry, mini statement besides host of other services. *99# service is currently offered by 51 leading banks & all GSM service providers and can be accessed in 12 different languages including Hindi & English as on 30.11.2016 (Source: NPCI). *99# service is a unique inter-operable direct to consumer service that brings together the diverse ecosystem partners such as Banks & TSPs (Telecom Service Providers).

3. Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AePS)

AEPS is a bank led model which allows online interoperable financial transaction at PoS (Point of Sale / Micro ATM) through the Business Correspondent (BC)/Bank Mitra of any bank using the Aadhaar authentication.

4. Unified Payments Interface (UPI)

Unified Payments Interface (UPI) is a system that powers multiple bank accounts into a single mobile application (of any participating bank), merging several banking features, seamless fund routing & merchant payments into one hood. It also caters to the “Peer to Peer” collect request which can be scheduled and paid as per requirement and convenience. Each Bank provides its own UPI App for Android, Windows and iOS mobile platform(s) such as Axis Pay, SBI Pay, PhonePe App, Google Tez App, BHIM UPI App, Bonus App – PNB UPI.

5. Mobile Wallets Or E-Wallets

A mobile wallet or E-Wallet is a way to carry cash in digital format. You can link your credit card or debit card information in mobile device to mobile wallet application or you can transfer money online to mobile wallet. Instead of using your physical plastic card to make purchases, you can pay with your smartphone, tablet, or smart watch. An individual’s account is required to be linked to the digital wallet to load money in it. Most banks have their e-wallets and some private companies and various startups have also launched E-Wallets in India. e.g. PayTM, Freecharge, Mobikwik, Oxigen, mRuppee, Airtel Money, Jio Money, SBI Buddy, itz Cash, Citrus Pay, Vodafone M-Pesa, Axis Bank Lime, ICICI Pockets, SpeedPay etc . are digital payment methods.

6. Banks Pre-Paid Cards

Prepaid debit cards, sometimes referred to as bank prepaid cards, are credit instruments that banks issue that give people an easy and adaptable way to manage their finances. Prepaid cards are independent of bank accounts, in contrast to conventional debit or credit cards that are connected to checking or credit accounts. Rather, they preload money onto the card, which they then use for a variety of payments up to the available balance.

7. Point Of Sale

A point of sale (PoS) is the place where sales are made. On a macro level, a PoS may be a mall, a market or a city. On a micro level, retailers consider a PoS to be the area where a customer completes a transaction, such as a checkout counter. It is also known as a point of purchase.

8. Internet Banking

Internet banking, also known as online banking, e-banking or virtual banking, is an electronic payment system/digital payment methods that enables customers of a bank or other financial institution to conduct a range of financial transactions through the financial institution’s website.

9. Mobile Banking

Mobile banking is a service provided by a bank or other financial institution that allows its customers to conduct different types of financial transactions remotely using a mobile device such as a mobile phone or tablet. It uses software, usually called an app, provided by the banks or financial institution for the purpose. Each Bank provides its own mobile banking App for Android, Windows and iOS mobile platform(s) which is one of the most popular digital payment methods now a days. 

10. Micro ATMs

Micro ATM meant to be a device that is used by a million Business Correspondents (BC) to deliver basic banking services. The platform will enable Business Correspondents (who could be a local kirana shop owner and will act as ‘micro ATM’) to conduct instant transactions.

The micro platform will enable function through low cost devices (micro ATMs) that will be connected to banks across the country. This would enable a person to instantly deposit or withdraw funds regardless of the bank associated with a particular BC. This device will be based on a mobile phone connection and would be made available at every BC. Customers would just have to get their identity authenticated and withdraw or put money into their bank accounts. This money will come from the cash drawer of the BC. Essentially, BCs will act as bank for the customers and all they need to do is verify the authenticity of customer using customers’ UID. The basic transaction types, to be supported by micro ATM, are Deposit, Withdrawal, Fund transfer and Balance inquiry.

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