Wi-Fi kiosks at 500 railway stations to provide e-services.

NEW DELHI: Aiming to provide connectivity in remote areas, Railways will set up Wi-Fi hotspot kiosks at about 500 stations and help people access an array of online services, including various government schemes. Christened as Railwire Saathi, the Wi-Fi kiosks will function like a PCO for Digital India and enable people to use services like e-commerce, online banking, offer them access to open school/university and insurance schemes, e-ticketing for train and bus services among others.
Automated form filling, mobile and DTH recharge are other services which the Railwire Saathi is expected to provide in areas with limited connectivity.
The Railwire Saathi aims to provide connectivity to the unconnected and at the same time offer jobs opportunities in rural areas, a senior Railway Ministry official said. While Railways is equipping about 400 stations with free Wi-Fi service in association with Google, this scheme has dual aim - providing jobs as well as connectivity. He said the scheme is expected to be operational by May.

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Reliance Jio Prime's deadline may not end on March 31, 2017.

NEW DELHI: Have not registered for Reliance Jio's Prime membership so far? Don't worry, you may get more time (in case you are interested). According to a report on Teleanalysis website, Reliance Industries-owned Reliance Jio may extend the deadline for its Jio Prime membership registration to April 30 2017. Till now, the last date to enroll the membership is March 31, 2017. The report claims, "Reliance Jio's Jio Prime registration deadline may get extended as the ongoing membership drive did not get the expected results with around 22-27 million users converted for the program so far...."
Quoting sources the report adds that the company has achieved "50% of its target of Jio Prime numbers." It, however, did not reveal the target. It also says that though the company is planning to extend the date, "nothing has been finalised yet."

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Samsung confirms it is bringing back 'troubled Note 7' smartphones.

SEOUL: Tech giant Samsung Electronics Co Ltd said on Monday it plans to sell refurbished versions of the Galaxy Note 7 smartphones that were pulled from markets due to fire-prone batteries. The Note 7 were permanently scrapped in October, roughly two months from the launch of the near-$900 devices, as more of the phones self-combusted despite a global recall initiated in September. A subsequent probe found manufacturing problems in batteries supplied by two different companies - Samsung SDI Co Ltd and Amperex Technology Ltd.

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Qualcomm unveils chipset for 4G feature phones

Telecom equipment company Qualcomm unveiled Qualcomm 205, a chipset to be used for making 4G feature phones that are expected to be priced below $50 or Rs 3,500 a unit. “India and South Asia regions present growth opportunities in the telecom space with rising 4G adoption and continued adoption of feature phones.

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Why Tech Can't Help Donald Trump and Most CEOs

Watching the new president, I'm struck by the fact that he is making almost the identical mistake President Obama made during his first two years. Trump has picked a major entitlement to hang his hat on -- the same major entitlement, healthcare -- and shortly will discover what most CIOs know: You don't mess with anything that touches everybody.

The likely outcome will be that like Obama, Trump will lose the house in the next election, and that the Republicans will be forced out of power over the next four to eight years, all for an avoidable, repeated mistake.
Interestingly, tech has products -- Watson, for example -- that not only could prevent this but also could ensure the success of any administration that chose to use them. By success, I mean success in war, success in peace, success in approval ratings, and success in economic achievement.
However, Watson can't help President Trump for much the same reason it can't help CEOs in general. I'll share my thoughts on why, and why we should fix that, and close with my product of the week: the Ryzen 5, a new processor from AMD that hits the sweet spot for those of us who like to build gaming rigs on a budget.

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Soon Google Maps will find your parked car for you.

NEW DELHI: It often happens that we park our cars in parking lots of shopping malls (or other public places), and forget where we parked them. But thanks to Google, you'll soon be able to find out easily where you parked your car. Google is bringing an interesting new feature to its Maps app, which will remember the location where a vehicle is parked.

 

The functionality is visible in the latest beta version of Maps app, and is only limited to Android users. To use the feature, you are required to be signed in to your Google account.

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Aadhaar eKYC verification for existing mobile subscribers soon

NEW DELHI: All existing subscribers of mobile services will have to go for Aadhaar-based re-verification soon, with the government instructing telecom operators to initiate the process. Cellular operators' body COAI said its members may meet this week to discuss the modalities of rolling out the verification process for the existing one billion-plus mobile phone users

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Apple Launches Red iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus And Low-Priced iPad

Apple has today launched the ‘Red’ colour variant of its iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. Along with this, the tech giant has also launched a new, cheaper version of its iPad Pro.
The iPhone Red has been launched as an attempt to raise awareness against HIV/ AIDS. Apple claims that every purchase will contribute to Global Fund for HIV/ AIDS programs.
Priced at $749 and $869, the Apple iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are available on Apple retail stores and the Apple store online.
Apple also launched a new iPad variants with a faster A9 chip. The variant comes as the lower priced iPad at a cost of $329 and is available on the Apple store online.

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