Apple iPad Pro 2018 to get Face ID, gesture-based UI, lose 3.5mm audio jack

The next-generation iPad Pro models are also reported to have trimmed-down dimensions when compared with the current generation models, according to a report on Japanese technology portal Macotakara

US-based technology giant Apple is working on the iPad Pro 2018, which is reported to get some of its features from the iPhone X. These include the advanced facial recognition and gesture-controlled user interface. The next-generation iPad Pro models are also reported to have trimmed-down dimensions when compared with the current-generation models, according to a report on the Japanese technology portal Macotakara.The iPad Pro 2018 models are reported to come in 10.5-inch and 12.9-inch screen formats with edge-to-edge screen. Both the models would feature Apple’s advanced facial recognition biometric set-up, which uses an infrared camera, dot projector, flood illuminator, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor and front camera to 3D-map the user's face. In terms of dimensions, the iPad Pro 2018 with a 10.5-inch screen is reported to have a compact profile with dimensions measuring 247.5 x 178.7 x 6 mm, compared with 250.6 x 174.1 x 6.1mm for the current-generation model. Similarly, the 12.9-inch model would also have a trimmed dimension of 280 x 215 x 6.4mm, compared with 305.7 x 220.6 x 6.9mm in the current model.

ALSO READ: Apple developing app to comply with DND rules, end stand-off with Trai

The iPad Pro 2018 models are also reported to lose the 3.5mm headphone jack, which has been missing in the iPhone models of the past few generations.The recent information around the upcoming Apple iPad Pro 2018 stands in line with the predictions of Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst at TF International Securities who has seldom been wrong. The analyst had earlier predicted that there would be two new iPad Pro models, the 11-inch model to replace the 10.5-inch model and a 12.9-inch model. Though the report on the Japanese technology portal still bets on a 10.5-inch screen, there are chances that we see an 11-inch model eventually.

Kuo also predicted that the new iPad Pro models would have Face ID, which has been reaffirmed in the recent report. The all-screen display with gesture-based navigation also hints at no Home Button on the front and iPhone X-like user interface, which was also predicted by Kuo earlier.

Kapil Mohan, the man who kept traditions alive at Mohan Meakin passes away

Mohan, chairman of Mohan Meakin, the maker of Old Monk rum, passed away on Saturday following a cardiac arrest at Mohan Nagar, near Ghaziabad

Kapil Mohan hardly ever downed a peg. Yet, the dark rum in a fat bottle his company brewed was the favourite evening companion for millions cutting across age, class and continents.

Mohan, chairman of Mohan Meakin, the maker of Old Monk rum, passed away on Saturday following a cardiac arrest at Mohan Nagar, near Ghaziabad. He was 88. He was the man behind famous brands like Old Monk, Solan No.1, and Golden Eagle, before age and competition caught up.

The teetotaller, who drew strength primarily from other spirits — of the holy kind — ran the company under his watch for over four decades. Only a year ago, he passed on the executive control to his nephews Hemant and Vinay, though he continued to be the chairman.

Pushed to the helm, following the death of his elder brother V R Mohan in the early 1970s, Kapil saw the emergence of the dark rum packed in the iconic squarish hard glass bottle as a global brand.

Till the mid 2000s, it was the largest-selling liquor brand in the country, with heavy patronage from military canteens. Old Monk held its own even as other brands such as Golden Eagle Beer were weathering the onslaught of Vijay Mallya-led United Breweries group and other competitors.

Yet, much of that market dominance seemed to have been achieved by word of mouth, than through conscious marketing efforts. “We do not advertise. I will not, and as long as I am in this chair, we will not (advertise),” Mohan had said in an interview in 2012. “The best way of my advertising is the product: When it comes to you and you taste it, you look at the difference and ask what is it. That is the best advertisement.”

Mohan was the president of the municipal committee in Himachal Pradesh’s Solan, where the company had its distillery and brewery. In fact, one of the secrets of the success of Old Monk and other brands was the fact that the water was sourced from the same natural spring in Solan as it was 150 years ago, when the facilities were first set up. People close to him say the Padma Shri awardee was averse to change and wanted things done the traditional way. (more)

OnePlus 5T sold within 5 minutes during preview sale on Amazon

OnePlus 5T also broke the company's launch-day sales record and became the company's fastest-selling device in six hours

Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus on Friday said it sold out its newly-launched OnePlus 5T within five minutes of the special one-hour preview sale on Amazon.

"We have seen unprecedented customer response to the early access sales, in India as well as globally. Hundreds of fans stormed our 'Experience Stores' in Bengaluru and Delhi," Vikas Agarwal, General Manager, OnePlus India, said in a statement.

"We are happy to announce that OnePlus 5T will go on open sale, starting on November 28, across all channels including Amazon.in, Never Settle - OnePlus.net, select Croma stores and 'Experience Stores' in Bengaluru and Delhi," Agarwal added.

OnePlus 5T also broke the company's launch-day sales record and became the company's fastest-selling device in six hours, the company said.

The device marks the introduction of a 6-inch "Full Optic AMOLED Display" with an 18:9 aspect ratio to deliver a more immersive viewing experience.

The device features a new "Sunlight Display" that adapts automatically to harsh light.

OnePlus has moved its fingerprint sensor to the back of the device.

The OnePlus 5T comes with the same main camera as that of OnePlus 5 but also houses an improved secondary camera for superior low-light photography.

The device has super-fast Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor. The "Adreno 540 GPU" boosts graphical performance.

Adding to the cart: Flipkart to launch Billion, its own smartphone

The firm will launch Capture+ under the Billion brand on Wednesday

Flipkart, the country's largest e-commerce marketplace, is launching its own smartphone on Wednesday.

Flipkart own smartphone : On Thursday, the company put a 'teaser' of the device on its website, showing features such as dual cameras, fast charging and unlimited cloud storage. The phone will be launched under the Billion brand and is named Billion Capture Plus . Flipkart also boasted a service network that spans 130 cities.

The teaser did not disclose the price.

Unlike major rival Amazon’s attempt at building a smartphone, which tried to compete directly with the likes of Apple’s iPhone, Flipkart is largely targeting the mid-range smartphone market. The similarity between the two companies is that both are targeting the country's most voluminous smartphone segment.

While iPhones were and are still among the best-selling smartphones in the US, prompting Amazon to go after that market, those costing between Rs 10,000 and Rs 13,000 make the largest chunk of smartphones sold online in India. What Flipkart will be aiming to do differently is actually sell some of its devices.

Launched in July 2014, Amazon’s Fire Phone was among the biggest failures in the company’s history. After spending years in research and spending millions to develop, sales never took off. Largely due to extremely experimental features that failed to catch the public fancy, which was in tune with the features of an iPhone, a Samsung Galaxy device, or a Google Nexus.

The firm has not revealed detailed specifications. The company seems to have put together a device with features customers search for the most on its platform when buying other phones, at a price point where it sees most of its action. (more)

New Ford EcoSport launched at Rs 7.31 lakh

The diesel option continues to have the same engine as the previous model

Ford India on Thursday launched its new upgraded version of popular compact SUV EcoSport priced between Rs 7.31 lakh and Rs 10.99 lakh.

The new version of the EcoSport is available in both petrol and diesel engine options.

The petrol variant comes with a brand new 1.5 litre engine delivering fuel economy of 17kmpl and it is priced between Rs 7.31 lakh and Rs 10.99 lakh.

The diesel option continues to have the same engine as the previous model and comes at a price range of Rs 8.01 lakh and Rs 10.67 lakh. It has a mileage of 23kmpl.

"The all new Ford EcoSport reinforces our commitment to the Indian market...We have increased the level of localisation to 85 per cent from around 60-65 per cent when the model was first launched in 2013," Ford India Managing Director and President Anurag Mehrotra told reporters here.

While the price of the existing model has been retained, the new EcoSport has as many as 1,600 changes and dual front air bags and ABS come as standard equipment, he added.

Ford India has however discontinued the Ecoboost petrol engine, variant of which was available in the earlier EcoSport version due to less demand.

Mehrotra also said Ford has become the largest passenger vehicles exporter from India and the products go to even advanced markets like North America and Europe.

Full text: IndiGo says 'whistleblower' himself instigated assault, had to be sacked

IndiGo President Aditya Ghosh said he personally spoke to the customer and apologised to him the same day

IndiGo Airlines on Tuesday issued an apology and fired the staffer who shot the video in which an airline staffer is seen manhandling a passenger at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport.

IndiGo President and Whole Time Director Aditya Ghosh said that the ex-staffer who is claiming to be the 'whistleblower' is the one who instigated the incident and prevented the customer from boarding the bus.

"Even while the investigation was going on we immediately suspended the involved employees," Ghosh said.

Watch : IndiGo staff manhandle passenger at Delhi airport 

In the video, Rajeev Katyal is first seen being stopped from entering a coach, then pulled back by a ground staff. Another airline employee is seen restraining the traveller.They then manhandled him and pinned him to the ground by his throat.The passenger fought back and fell to the ground in the melee. The incident occured on October 15.

Here is the full text of IndiGo President Aditya Ghosh's response to the incident:

Just wanted you to know the reality. I personally called and apologised to the customer three weeks ago. Not now. But on the very same night. Not once have we blamed the customer or justified the conduct of the employee. We immediately suspended them and terminated the errant employee.

The ex-employee who is claiming to the whistleblower is the one who was screaming at the customer and shouting Roklay Roklay Isay preventing the customer from boarding the bus. He was four years senior to the other two employees. And instead of acting maturely, he is the one who instigated the incident. He is the one who prevented the customer from departing in the bus. You can hear his voice in the first parts of the video. He was a cargo employee. He had no business being there. And had no business shouting at the customer. Under the code of conduct violation, this incident was investigated by the designated committee and stern action was taken against the staff. He is the exact opposite of what IndiGo’s customer service aims to be. (more)

Xiaomi unveils Android-based MIUI 9 OS with focus on performance: Know more

The upgraded MIUI 9 operating system will be available for most of the Xiaomi smartphones, including Mi 2 that was launched in 2012

China-based electronics maker Xiaomi on Thursday introduced the latest iteration of its Android-based operating system MIUI 9. The new operating system promises quick app load times and blazing performance, which the company claims to be as good as that in stock Android devices such as Xiaomi Mi A1.

The beta version of the MIUI 9 had been opened in August this year. The final version will start rolling out to select Xiaomi devices -- Redmi Note 4, xiaomi unveils mi mix 2and Mi Max 2 – starting Friday. There is a whole lot of Xiaomi smartphones that will receive the update in the near future and the list of devices also includes 2012 flagship Mi 2 smartphone.

In terms of new features, the MIUI 9 sports a new design and comes with new system animations for icons. While there are numerous changes that the new operating system brings, the most noticeable changes are made in the following features:

App Vault

The app vault feature is an addition to the MIUI. The feature keeps basic apps – those supported by the operating system – such as notes, cab, calendar etc at one place that can be accessed by swiping right on the screen. This is something similar to shelf feature that we saw in OnePlus’s Oxygen OS but with much more utilities.

Multitasking

The much-demanded multitasking feature for Xiaomi devices is now a part of MIUI 9. Also known as split screen, the new OS allows sharing screen with two apps at the same time.

Notifications

The new notification centre manages to show more information. It groups similar notifications such as WhatsApp messages that can be read by a single swipe down. Also, the new notification centre enables quick reply from notification area and therefore brings uniformity in comparison with stock Android.(more)

Jio effect: Airtel partners with Celkon, offers 4G smartphone at Rs 1349

The 'Celkon Smart 4G' comes with a four inch touch screen, dual SIM slots and access to all popular apps like YouTube, WhatsApp and Facebook

India’s leading telecom operator Bharti Airtel on October 30 in partnership with Celkon launched a 4G Android smartphone for Rs 1,349. The phone comes bundled with Airtel's Rs 169 offer plan, which provides unlimited calls, and 500 MB data per day for 28 days.

The partnership is part of Airtel’s ‘Mera Pehla Smartphone’ initiative, under which Airtel plans to collaborate with device manufacturers to launch smartphones at the price of a feature phone.

In terms of specifications, the Celkon Smart 4G smartphone sports a 4-inch screen, dual-SIM slots and FM radio. The Android powered 4G smartphone offers access to several apps on Google Play Store, including YouTube, Facebook and WhatsApp. The device will also come preloaded with apps from Airtel -- MyAirtel app, Wynk music and Airtel TV.

The phone comes bundled with Airtel Rs 169 offer plan, which provides unlimited calls, and 500 MB data per day for 28 days. Also, there is a cashback offer that entails to terms and conditions.

To avail a cashback offer, ancustomer needs to make a down payment of Rs 2,849 for the 4G smartphone and make 36 continuous monthly recharges of Rs 169. The customer will get a cash refund of Rs 500 after 18 months and another Rs 1,000 after 36 months, taking the total cash benefit to Rs 1500.

In case the customer does not wish to opt for the Rs 169 bundled plan, she/he has the flexibility of doing recharges of any denomination and validity as per individual requirements. However, to claim the cash refund benefit, recharges worth Rs 3,000 must be done within the first 18 months (to claim the first refund installment of Rs 500) and another Rs 3,000 over the next 18 months (to claim the second refund installment of Rs 1000). (more)

Mumbai-Delhi Jet flight diverted to Ahmedabad over 'threat letter' found in plane's loo

The flight with 122 passengers, including seven crew, landed in a remote bay at the Ahmedabad airport and all passengers were disembarked and screened.

A Jet Airways Mumbai-New Delhi flight was diverted to Ahmedabad due to "security issues" after a letter warning about a hijack and bomb threat was discovered in the plane's toilet. The person who left the note has been identified.

The flight with 122 passengers, including seven crew, landed in a remote bay at the Ahmedabad airport and all passengers were disembarked and screened.

Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju in a tweet said: "I am informed that the person responsible for the Jet flight (9W-339) incident causing landing at Ahmedabad today morning has been identified."

"I am advising the airlines to put him on the 'No Fly List' immediately, in addition to other statutory criminal action," Raju said.

The Boeing 737-900 flight 9W-339 had departed from Mumbai around 2.55 a.m., and after diversion landed in Ahmedabad around 3.45 a.m.

The flight was finally cleared for take-off and left for New Delhi around 10.45 a.m., said an airlines spokesperson.

The pilot alerted Ahmedabad airport authorities about the threat letter after the plane took off. The letter was reported to be in Urdu and English.

The Jet Airways statement said the flight was diverted following "declaration of an emergency as per established security procedures, due to the detection of an onboard security threat".

Taking on Jio: Now Vodafone to offer 4G smartphones for Rs 2,899

Vodafone has forged a partnership with Micromax, wherein customers can own a 4G smartphone for Rs 999

As the incumbent operators look to take on Reliance Jio and retain their customer base for feature phones, they are forging partnerships with handset makers so as to make smartphones affordable and within reach of a large section of society.

After Airtel, which has tied up with Karbonn to come out with a smartphone for an effective price of Rs 1,399, Vodafone has also forged a partnership with Micromax, wherein customers can own a 4G smartphone for Rs 999.

According to the Vodafone offer, existing and new Vodafone customers will have to buy the Micromax Bharat-2 Ultra smartphone by paying Rs 2,899 and if they recharge at least Rs 150 per month for 36 months, Rs 1,900 will be returned as cashback.

Also Read : Micromax launches budget smartphone

At the end of 18 months, users will receive a cashback of Rs 900 and after another 18 months, a cashback of Rs 1,000, in their Vodafone M-Pesa wallets. Vodafone has not provided a specific plan for the Micromax offer and people buying the device can recharge with existing offers of the company.

As the company is targeting feature phone users, who usually recharge with amounts starting at Rs 10, Vodafone has allowed the flexibility for users to choose recharges of any denomination but to avail the offer, a minimum of Rs 150 should be spent in a month, or Rs 2,700 in 18 months.

Avneesh Khosla, associate director — Consumer Business, Vodafone India, said, “Through our partnership with Micromax, we have democratised 4G smartphones at a price of under Rs 999. This will help fulfill the aspirations of several million phone users across the country who desire a smartphone but couldn’t afford one.”

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 review: Almost bezel-less, smartphone's 18:9 screen excites

Priced at Rs 35,999, the phone has a lot to offer; some software downsides notwithstanding, the Mi Mix 2 is a flagship smartphone with no real competition

Last year, Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi initiated an era of bezel-less smartphones with the launch of the Mi Mix, the first device to drop the bezels and break away from the traditional 16:9 aspect ratio screen in favour of 18:9.

The company has taken a step forward this year and unveiled the ‘ Xiaomi Mi Mix 2’, built on the blueprint of the Mi Mix but containing much more refined ergonomics and a premium design language.

Business Standard reviews the device to gauge its performance on different parameters. Here are our observations:

Design

The Mi Mix 2 is a delight to hold and use. It has a 5.99-inch screen covering almost the entire front. The smartphone, though it competes in the bezel-less arena, does have tiny bezels on three sides of the screen – top, left and right. The limited bottom chin hosts the front camera sensor.

The lustrous ceramic back looks premium but is also a fingerprint magnet, requiring regular clean-ups. The back side is neat, with the primary camera placed at the centre, enclosed in an 18k gold-plated rim that adds to the device’s premium quotient. The fingerprint scanner is placed right below the camera, making it easier to reach to unlock the device.

Overall, the phone’s premium build quality, coupled with top-notch aesthetics, makes it easy to use and a delight to hold.

Display

The Mi Mix 2’s 5.99-inch IPS display in an 18:9 aspect ratio is a bold step forward and sets a precedence for other smartphone makers to follow. Xiaomi has done some incredible work to reduce the screen-to-body aspect ratio of the Mi Mix 2, and the result is pleasing to the eye. (more)

Jio's Diwali offer: 100% cashback on Rs 399 pack; here's how you can get it

Under the Diwali Dhan Dhana Dhan offer, Jio Prime customers get eight vouchers worth Rs 50 each on a recharge of Rs 399. The offer can be availed of during the Oct 12-16 period

Reliance Jio has announce a 100 per cent cashback offer on Rs 399 recharge for Jio Prime customers. Dubbed the ‘Diwali Dhan Dhana Dhan’ Jio's Diwali offer , the cashback comes in the form of eight Rs 50 vouchers that can be redeemed in further recharges. Jio Prime customers can avail of the offer starting today, October 12 and the offer will continue until October 18.

The eight Rs 50 vouchers that you get on a recharge of Rs 399 can be redeemed against future recharges of Rs 309 or above, and on data add-ons booster packs of Rs 91 or above. The vouchers come with a condition of use that allows only one voucher to be redeemed at a time and only after November 15.

Also Read : Airtel vs Jio in cheap 4G phone: Voice-data bundling coup waiting to happen

The offer can also be availed of by the subscribers who are still under the validity period of their last recharge. The recharge will activate only after the current plan validity of the recharge expires.

Under the Rs 399 recharge, Reliance Jio offers free calls, SMS, subscription to Jio apps and 84 GB of data with a cap of 1 GB per day, valid for 84 days. The Diwali Dhan Dhana Dhan offer is valid for both, prepaid and postpaid subscribers.

Wipro opens Data Discovery Platform for businesses on Microsoft Azure

Industry analysts say Wipro will need appropriate selling methods for such a solution

Wipro, India’s third-largest IT services firm, said it has made its cloud-based Data Discovery Platform available for customers on Microsoft Azure through a “pay-per-insight” model.

To be hosted on Microsoft’s cloud computing platform Azure, the Data Discovery Platform is a big data analytics-as-a-service solution that can enhance the ability of businesses in sectors such as banking and financial services, retail, energy, education, and manufacturing to make better decisions using pre-built applications.

Company News : The platform can be used by businesses through an outcome-based model. “Data Discovery Platform leverages Microsoft’s Cortana Intelligence Suite, which includes HDInsight, Stream Analytics, Data Lake Analytics, machine learning, and Power BI to build analytical applications,” said the company in a statement, adding that both Microsoft and Wipro have collaborated in areas such as engineering, solution enhancement, and joint-go-to-market strategy.

“Today, the platform is a significant enabler of analytics-led digital transformation delivering analytics-as-a-service to organisations. We believe that this is a reflection of the Wipro Data Discovery Platform’s maturity and Microsoft’s confidence in the prowess of this platform," said Pallab Deb, vice-president and global head (Analytics) at Wipro.

Industry analysts say such a solution will need appropriate selling methods, be it data and services packaged or otherwise, as the platform is digital in nature.

“This is going to be a different offering from that of traditional software services. Wipro needs a new-age approach to sell such a platform. Even though there is enough demand for such data analytics-based solutions, this cannot be sold like any traditional technology service,” said Sanchit Vir Gogia, founder and chief executive, Greyhound Research.

JioPhone effect: Idea to launch 4G-enabled feature phone at Rs 2,500

We have no intention to subsidise handsets, said Himanshu Kapania, Managing Director Idea Cellular

Faced with the latest challenge of ultra-cheap 4G feature phone from Reliance Jio, Idea Cellular on July 28 said it is working with handset makers to bring down the cost of handsets.

However, the Aditya Birla Group company, set to be merged with bigger rival Vodafone, made it clear that it will not subsidise handsets.

Indian Companies News : "The practical solution that we are working on is to work with the handset industry and work with them to be able to bring down cost of handsets by bringing down the bill of material, so that the gap of the announced price of Jio feature phone versus a smart-phone can be brought down to reasonable levels," its Managing Director Himanshu Kapania told analysts.

Kapania said the ideal price point for a handset will be Rs 2,500.

In the past, the telecom operators had worked with handset makers when they were challenged by the then Reliance Infocomm's cheaper handsets, he noted.

"Given the fact that this (Jio announcement) has happened, and it is going to be distributed in large volumes, our belief is that we need to work with the handset industry and introduce similar phones in the marketplace," he said.

This will be an "affordable phone" which will allow customers the choice of dual SIM, selection of 2G and 4G networks, signing up with telecom operators of choice and to use applications of choice, he said.

There will be extensive market research on the number of features that can be brought down, operating system and whether it should have touchscreen, among others, he said. Read more

Flipkart-eBay India merger done; sellers can now take products global

Indian Companies News

Flipkart, India's largest e-commerce marketplace said it will begin offering the global inventory of eBay to Indian consumers while taking the products of thousands of sellers in the country to eBay's customers globally.

This comes after Flipkart completed the takeover of the India operations of eBay.

In a deal announced in April, Flipkart raised $1.4 billion from global technology majors eBay, Tencent and Microsoft. In exchange for an equity stake in Flipkart, eBay had made a cash investment and sold its eBay.in business to Flipkart.

Flipkart will now own and operate eBay.in, which however will remain an independent entity.Additionally, both companies are also partnering to leverage opportunities in cross-border trade. As a result, Flipkart customers will get expanded product choices with the wide array of global inventory available on eBay, while eBay customers will have access to more unique Indian inventory from Flipkart sellers. The partnership will thus provide a new opportunity for Flipkart sellers to expand their sales globally, the firm said in a statement.

"Being an early mover, eBay.in has a unique standing in the Indian e-commerce market, which is a great addition to Flipkart's leadership position. Our coming together directly benefits Indian customers and sellers for whom we want to provide the best possible e-commerce experience. This is a step in that direction," Flipkart CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy said in the statement.

Valuation to too many demands: Why Snapdeal-Flipkart merger is dragging

The Snapdeal-Flipkart merger has turned into the most complex acquisition negotiation

Indian Companies News : In the universe of Snapdeal and Flipkart everyone is hopeful, but of different things. Japanese telecom giant SoftBank and US hedge fund major Tiger Global are hopeful of merging the two e-commerce players. Snapdeal’s board members, such as Nexus Venture Capital, and smaller shareholders are hopeful of a better-valued exit, and the co-founders Kunal Bahl and Rohit Bansal are hopeful of holding on to their company.

The clash of hopes is what has kept the ‘biggest consolidation in Indian e-commerce history’ from becoming a reality. After five months of discussions, the Snapdeal-Flipkart merger has turned into the most complex acquisition negotiation.

Stonewalling deal

In his last email to FreeCharge employees as the top boss, Bahl, buoyed by the sale of the mobile wallet to Axis Bank, said the deal provides them the necessary boost in resources to continue the journey towards building an e-commerce platform.

Axis Bank last week announced it had bought the mobile payments wallet provider from Snapdeal for Rs 385 crore ($60 million).

According to sources close to Snapdeal, the co-founders are actively working towards a ‘Plan B’ and have taken into confidence most of their senior management. According to sources, the two have been fighting SoftBank, the biggest investor in the company, 'tooth and nail’ to prevent the deal from happening.

“They are going to fight the deal till they can. The kind of U-turn SoftBank took last year has left them flabbergasted. First SoftBank asked them to rebrand, spend money on marketing, promising all along that more investments are on way and then they suddenly left them high and dry.(more)

Kalanithi Maran vs Ajay Singh: Blow for SpiceJet as SC dismisses petition

Had earlier moved a confidence motion in the Bihar Assembly to prove the majority of his new govt

Indian Companies News : In a blow to Ajay Singh-led low-cost carrier (LCC) SpiceJet, the Supreme Court on Friday dismissed its appeal challenging the Delhi High Court order that directed it to deposit Rs 529 crore in relation to a share-transfer dispute with media baron Kalanithi Maran.

The Bench headed by Justice Rohinton Nariman heard the counsel to Ajay Singh, who now controls SpiceJet, as well as Abhishek Singhvi, who was appearing for Maran, before rejecting the appeal. SpiceJet is now obliged to deposit Rs 250 crore in cash and Rs 329 in bank guarantees. The payment schedule was to start in August.

According to SpiceJet, the high court order was not only wrong in law but harsh as it amounted to infliction of 'civil death' on the company. It pleaded that the order would have an effect of undoing all efforts of the new management and saddle the company with huge liabilities with fatal consequences.

ALSO READ: Who owns SpiceJet? Kalanithi Maran claims deal with Ajay Singh is dead

Maran, the former promoter of the airline, had transferred his 58.46 per cent stake in the airline to Singh in February 2015, changing the ownership of the LCC. Under the agreement, Maran was to receive redeemable warrants in return for Rs 690 crore spent on SpiceJet towards operating costs and debt payment. However, this allegedly did not happen because the necessary approvals were not obtained from the Securities and Exchange Board of India.

SpiceJet’s petition said the liabilities were over Rs 2,200 crore, which was substantially more than the amount purportedly brought in by Maran and KAL Airways. This amount was, in fact, utilised for the purpose it was brought in. "It is with great effort, perseverance and skill that the company under its new management has been able to revive itself and come out from the severe financial strain that it was facing under the management of Maran and others," the appeal stated.

ALSO READ: Share transfer dispute: SpiceJet must deposit Rs 579 cr, Delhi HC rules

In separate proceedings, Maran has moved the arbitration tribunal demanding compensation from SpiceJet for causing losses and failing to honour the agreement.

Jio 4G handset is virtually free for users; what's the game plan?

This handset could rattle older rivals, but experts are sceptical about mass conversions for Jio

Indian Companies News : In a move that may rattle its older rivals, already destabilised by some of the disruptive plans and freebies offered by it in the past months, Mukesh Ambani-backed Reliance Jio on Friday unveiled its ultra-low-cost 4G feature phone.

However, the success of the new Reliance Jio mobile phone would be pegged on 2G phone customers doubling their present monthly bill on mobile services.

For that to happen, the country’s average revenue per user (Arpu) – currently at Rs 80 for feature phone users and pegged at around Rs 104 overall – will have to go up substantially.

To enable that, Jio is offering users an attractive preposition – unlimited calls (earlier the feature phone users had only limited call time), as well as unlimited data with a cap of 0.5 GB per day (earlier they had no or minimal data usage) on a Rs 153 pack. Also, Jio is offering applications that include videos as well as live TV and YouTube, which will only help customers move to higher data usage and, thereby, larger packs.

In fact, the company has also ensured that customers will not have to pay for the new handset at all if they commit to Jio for the long haul. Reliance Jio is offering the device at a deposit of Rs 1,500, which will be paid pack after three years. While this helps the company garner a huge amount of money upfront, the effective cost for the customer is only the notional interest that he would forgo on an amount of Rs 1,500, which is negligible of course.

Unlike in the case of the earlier Monsoon Hungama plan (phone bundled with services at Rs 501) offered in 2003 by the erstwhile Reliance Infocomm (now Reliance Communications), there will be no risk of the customer running away with the phone this time. The user will remain sticky for at least three years, as not only is the device locked to Jio, but he also needs to continue using Jio for availing of money back. Read more