Shivani Shinde And Sourabh Lele

Stories by Shivani Shinde And Sourabh Lele

Everything you wanted to know about Google Street View

Everything you wanted to know about Google Street View

Rediff.com   23 Aug 2022

In other countries, Street View's content comes from two sources -- Google and individual contributors. However, in India, these will be collected by the tech giant's new local partners.

SoftBank warns its portfolio firms of cost cutting

SoftBank warns its portfolio firms of cost cutting

Rediff.com   20 Aug 2022

After a recent fall in profit, Masayoshi Son of SoftBank announced that the Japanese tech investor will look at dramatic cost-cutting. Before he does that, investments in India for calendar year 2022 (CY22) will fall radically, observed sources in the know. Last year, the company had invested around $3.2-3.5 billion in the Indian start-up ecosystem - almost 10 per cent of the total investment the sector received. For CY22, the investments may not even touch $1 billion.

BGMI Ban Stuns Gaming Community

BGMI Ban Stuns Gaming Community

Rediff.com   17 Aug 2022

'Banning a game is not the solution, rather, there should be laws that restrict the number of hours spent a week playing a game.'

'Data protection bill veered away from core issues'

'Data protection bill veered away from core issues'

Rediff.com   16 Aug 2022

'There were two options before the government -- create a complex, cumbersome law, which will cause a tremendous amount of compliance challenges for startups or say let's go back and do a clean slate, where we do a framework of laws and policies'

India sees sharp rise in cyber attacks as internet base continues to widen

India sees sharp rise in cyber attacks as internet base continues to widen

Rediff.com   15 Aug 2022

Even as India's internet base continues to widen, with the country set to have over 900 internet users by 2025, a parallel rise in cyber threats has become a matter of huge concern. Experts say that the sudden surge in digital adoption left little time to develop a cybersecurity backbone for the country. This has put large amounts of data at risk.

Microsoft gives ONDC its first Big Tech push

Microsoft gives ONDC its first Big Tech push

Rediff.com   10 Aug 2022

Microsoft has become the first global Big Tech company to join the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), an Indian government initiative for developing a first-of-its-kind open network for digital commerce. The world's second-largest technology firm intends to introduce social e-commerce via its app in the Indian market later this year. ONDC is expected to open to the public in Bengaluru over the next fortnight as it enters into the next phase of the pilot for further fine-tuning before rollouts in other cities, according to a source in the know.

India's smartphone market sees 1% decline in the first half of 2022

India's smartphone market sees 1% decline in the first half of 2022

Rediff.com   9 Aug 2022

India's smartphone market has fallen by one per cent in the first half of 2022, as shipments of Xiaomi - the top-selling brand - declined 28 per cent due to weak consumer demand in the quarter ended June. According to the International Data Corporation's (IDC's) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, 71 million smartphones were shipped from January to June this year. The highest decline was in the below-$100 segment, which lost its market share by 5 per cent.

US retailer Macy's tech expense cut may hurt IT giants

US retailer Macy's tech expense cut may hurt IT giants

Rediff.com   6 Aug 2022

The company's decision may impact new projects, which are likely to get delayed, said sources in the know. Among the IT players that work with Macy's are Accenture, Cognizant, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), and Infosys. Macy's is among the top 5-10 clients of these companies.

Zomato moves to multiple-CEO structure for business

Zomato moves to multiple-CEO structure for business

Rediff.com   2 Aug 2022

Online food delivery aggregator Zomato is on an internal rebranding exercise by moving to a multiple chief executive structure for its businesses that will be housed under a larger organisation called Eternal. In an internal message to employees, Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Deepinder Goyal said the company is at a stage where it has matured from running a single business to running multiple and large companies. The restructuring is happening after the shareholder approved the Blinkit acquisition.

Internet usage grows faster in rural India; knowhow still a deterrent

Internet usage grows faster in rural India; knowhow still a deterrent

Rediff.com   29 Jul 2022

The number of internet users in rural India increased 18 percent last year, faster than growth in urban areas and continuing a trend that started two years ago. Internet users in urban India increased 5 percent in 2021. Rural India has 351 million users, or 37 percent of people there, according to a report by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and data analytics company KANTAR.

Attrition continues to hit margins at top-tier IT companies in Q1FY23

Attrition continues to hit margins at top-tier IT companies in Q1FY23

Rediff.com   26 Jul 2022

A quick look at the Q1FY23 performance of top-tier IT services players shows that they are still far away from getting a grip on managing attrition. Talent retention has eroded not only their margins but also any gains they may have made from rupee depreciation. Despite robust growth numbers and strong deal pipelines, margins for all the players -- TCS, Infosys, HCL Technologies and Wipro -- have continued to shrink at a pace that has had the street surprised.

Cryptocurrency heists just got harder, thanks to tech

Cryptocurrency heists just got harder, thanks to tech

Rediff.com   19 Jul 2022

Earlier last month, for the first time ever, an anonymous hacker was served with a restraining order as a non-fungible token (NFT), reports Shivani Shinde.

Tech startups raise $6 bn in April-June, fintech leads the pack

Tech startups raise $6 bn in April-June, fintech leads the pack

Rediff.com   16 Jul 2022

Two sectors, fintech and media & entertainment, attracted 45 per cent of total funding by value, led by large ticket deals such as CRED and Dailyhunt.

Over 7 mn users download Tata Neu app within seven weeks of launch

Over 7 mn users download Tata Neu app within seven weeks of launch

Rediff.com   13 Jul 2022

Tata Neu, the super app from the Tata group, has been downloaded by over 7 million users within seven weeks of its launch. And, the company wants to ramp this up to 150 million users in the next two years, said senior executives of Tata Digital in an internal magazine of the Tata group. According to data from App Annie, a mobile app tracking platform, the Tata Neu app has been downloaded by over 11 million users.

'The opportunity for tech is massive'

'The opportunity for tech is massive'

Rediff.com   27 Jun 2022

'A lot of the emphasis when we hire graduates is the learning for these new technologies -- whether it's cloud and digital data analytics, cybersecurity, or IoT, but also some of the new ones, such as Metaverse or other newer areas.'

'The concept of 'One Infosys' will be crucial'

'The concept of 'One Infosys' will be crucial'

Rediff.com   24 Jun 2022

'We spent considerable time re-skilling all the employees, and then we created a new focus called the 'One Infosys'.'

Google executive warns against sharing of citizen data

Google executive warns against sharing of citizen data

Rediff.com   23 Jun 2022

Google's chief privacy officer, Keith Enright, has warned policymakers that frequent and large-scale sharing of citizen data, even if anonymized, can damage users' privacy. Pointing to research that shows data sets lose their anonymity if shared consistently over time, he said: "I would encourage policymakers and companies to be extremely circumspect while proceeding in that direction." Anonymization is a technique that removes or modifies personally identifiable information, resulting in data that cannot be associated with any one individual.

Game Streaming the Next Hot Career?

Game Streaming the Next Hot Career?

Rediff.com   23 Jun 2022

Game streaming is becoming a serious professional choice for youth, as it allows them to make good money.

Restaurant to jewellery, brands make a beeline for metaverse

Restaurant to jewellery, brands make a beeline for metaverse

Rediff.com   21 Jun 2022

'We're seeing major Bollywood celebrities, fashion icons, and even movie studios all wanting to build Metaverse experiences'

12,000 Aadhaar enrolment personnel suspended for tech glitch

12,000 Aadhaar enrolment personnel suspended for tech glitch

Rediff.com   16 Jun 2022

Protesting staff demand that UIDAI upgrade its software with an option to verify the documents submitted by residents.