India has seen a surge in women-led businesses in recent years, with many entrepreneurs breaking barriers and making a mark in various industries. These businesses and women leaders are not only empowering women but also contributing to India’s economy and job creation. Thanks to startups being celebrated in the mainstream culture with shows like Shark Tand India, more and more women are testing the waters and entering the startup arena. These women-led businesses are not just successful but also break the sexist stereotypes that limit women’s reach in the world.
Nykaa
Nykaa is a Mumbai-based wellness brand founded by Falguni Nayar in 2012. It is an online beauty and wellness store that offers a range of products, including makeup, skincare, haircare, and fragrances. Nykaa has raised over $100 million in funding and has more than 100 retail stores across the country. The startup has disrupted the beauty industry and has become a leading player in the market.
Zivame
Zivame is a Bangalore-based startup founded by Richa Kar in 2011. It is an online lingerie store that offers a wide range of products for women. Zivame has raised over $50 million in funding and has more than 30 retail stores across the country. The startup has disrupted the lingerie industry, which was traditionally dominated by male-led companies.
The Moms Co.
The Moms Co. is a Delhi-based startup founded by Malika Sadani in 2016. It is a natural and toxin-free skincare brand for moms and babies. The startup has raised over $5 million in funding and has a presence in over 10,000 stores across the country. The Moms Co. is a pioneer in the natural skincare industry and has made a mark with its innovative products.
Vahdam Teas
Vahdam Teas is a Delhi-based startup founded by Bala Sarda in 2015. It is an online tea store that offers a wide range of teas from different regions of India. Vahdam Teas has raised over $17 million in funding and has a presence in over 100 countries. The startup has disrupted the tea industry, which was traditionally dominated by established players.
SUGAR Cosmetics
SUGAR Cosmetics was founded by Vineeta Singh and Kaushik Mukherjee in 2015. It is a makeup brand that offers a range of products, including lipsticks, eyeliners, and foundations. SUGAR Cosmetics has raised over $20 million in funding and has a presence in over 10 countries. The startup has disrupted the makeup industry and has become a leading player in the market.
FabAlley
FabAlley is a Delhi-based startup founded by Shivani Poddar and Tanvi Malik in 2012. It is an online fashion store that offers a range of products, including clothes, accessories, and footwear. FabAlley has raised over $8 million in funding and has a presence in over 200 cities across the country. The startup has disrupted the fashion industry and has become a popular choice among young women.
YourStory
YourStory is a Bangalore-based startup founded by Shradha Sharma in 2008. It is a media platform that covers startups and entrepreneurs in India. YourStory has raised over $18 million in funding and has a reach of over 10 million readers. The startup has played a significant role in promoting and supporting the startup ecosystem in India. These are just a few examples of the many women-led businesses in India that are making a mark in various industries. These startups are breaking barriers and inspiring more women to become entrepreneurs. We’re in 2023 and it is definitely high time for people to stop underestimating what women can achieve in various fields across the globe!
Social media platforms like Instagram and YouTube have completely changed the definition of a so-called celebrity. Nowadays, we’re seeing way too many Instagram influencers and YouTubers being referred to as celebrities by their followers/subscribers. Thanks to these social media platforms, which have offered a platform for content creators to showcase their talent and that too without asking for a single buck.
Over the last few years, these platforms turned from simple video-sharing platforms to a home to a plethora of content creators. Back in the 2000s or even before that, wannabe actors, musicians, artisans, etc., used to struggle for so many years to get noticed by the world. But now, what you need to become an overnight celebrity is viral content, thanks to the supremacy of social media.
I understand the fad where ordinary people shot reels, vlogs, and videos to earn a social status and a little popularity amongst society, but a couple of years ago, while surfing on YouTube, I came across one celebrity channel and asked myself why? However, after a bit of research and work-chat, I realised that it’s not the only celebrity channel on YouTube. Since then, many Hollywood and even Bollywood stars have started their YouTube channels.
Reasons:
To develop a connection on a personal level
What is your first impression of the Hollywood star and former wrestler Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson? He must be a harsh, rude and strong-headed person, right? However, in reality, he’s entirely the opposite of what we’re thinking of him. And we got to know about this through his YouTube channel, which has over 6 million subscribers, where he shares his daily life and shredding tips with his fans.
You must have seen content creators who showcase their day-to-day life in their YouTube vlogs or Instagram reels have more number of followers than those who don’t showcase the same. Do you know why? When people take their audience into their daily lives and come ahead on YouTube/Instagram as they are in reality, it helps them to develop a personal connection with fans and strengthen their followings.
To showcase a different or perhaps the real side of their character
We often spot celebrities through the paparazzi’s cameras, where most of the time, they look grumpy, and we judge their character according to their behaviour with the paps and fans who ask for selfies. Now, put yourself in the same spot and imagine how you would treat someone returning from a hectic work day. Being a celebrity is not easy; in reality, they moved to YouTube to prove they’re not like paps show them.
YouTube offers celebrities a platform to showcase their natural character and allows them to have complete control over what they want to share with their fans. Here, they don’t even have to follow the strict editing deadlines like in movies. They can edit their stuff whenever they want, choose any topic and take their fans on a crazy ride just by sharing a few moments they had while shooting a film or anything for that matter.
To stay in the limelight
Once a celebrity, always a celebrity doesn’t work anymore as there are way too many celebrities around the world. Be it film stars, Instagram models, Influencers, YouTubers, Gamers, etc. We’ve seen many Bollywood actors or Television actors reaching the stars and falling badly within the next few releases. These stars want to stay in the limelight and regain public attention again, using YouTube as a platform to do the same. No wonder more and more celebrities are creating their own YouTube channels.
Good sound or good music has the ability to delight your soul. A good audio system in your car is pure eargasm while on the move. If you’re new to the world of car audio systems, check out our article on how the in-car infotainment system evolved with time here and they seem to have become more sophisticated with each passing year.
Almost everyone has different opinions on car audio systems, and some people love the look of their factory stereo. If you have a late model car with an integrated infotainment system, upgrading the stereo can be difficult. In either case, there are several ways to improve a factory sound system.
One interesting thing about upgrading your car audio is that there’s no right way or wrong way to go about it, in fact, the best thing about upgrading factory audio systems is that almost any component you replace will at least represent a marginal improvement.
The guide to “car audio” starts with an understanding of what each component contributes to the overall audio experience you have. But it’s important to be able to identify the pitfalls that you notice in your car audio, then know the right fix for each problem.
However, no matter how many complexities arise in the technological aspect, a car audio system only has three basic components. So if you’re considering upgrading your car’s audio system, keep in mind that the components listed below are the ones you must include.
If you are going by the budget-conscious piecemeal route, then you must plan on how you want the final system to look and sound like. If you do that, you’ll end up with components that work pretty well together.
There are many options when you build a car infotainment system from the ground up, so people who have never performed this task may shy away from that sort of drastic change.
Now, if you dive in, consider the types of features you want your car to sound like.
If you’re working on a tight budget, you can do some things to improve the sound quality. You can even replace components one at a time, depending on what your speculated budget permits, and eventually, you’ll have a completely custom car sound system.
Know the main components!
Head Units
This is the brain behind everything. In the beginning, head units were simply radio tuners which, as time went by, became proficient in providing audio signals from cassette tapes and CD players. In the modern-day vehicles, the head unit is often integrated into its entire “infotainment system”, which is the central console that also often houses climate controls and provides navigation.
Today, most head units have USB ports, Bluetooth connectivity, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, etc to connect other devices and play digital music, built-in satellite and Internet capabilities, and whatnot.
Now it is entirely up to you what you want in your car.
Either way, we advise you to end up with a head unit that is capable of powering the speakers. You can also go for a head unit with pre-amp outputs and an amplifier capable of fully powering the speakers.
Speakers
It’s an old rule of thumb, but it remains true: even the best car stereo won’t sound great on lousy speakers. If your car’s stock car audio system shows distortion, lacks clarity during high-frequency ranges, and blasts hollow bass notes, you may improve the sound system in your vehicle with a worthwhile speaker upgrade.
If your car only has two or four-speaker slots, they are probably coaxial speakers, which means a single speaker head features both the woofer and a tweeter. The easiest way to replace them is with better coaxial speakers, preferably made with more superior materials.
A decent set of front speakers might only set you back less than ten grand. Component speakers provide even better sound, but that’s a complicated upgrade that’s better paired with a new car stereo.
Discrete speaker components sound even better because the tweeters and woofers operate separately, producing greater sound clarity. But this upgrade often requires cutting new speaker mounts, complex rewiring, and other actions best performed by a technician, an experienced installer of sound systems for cars.
At least four speakers make up most car audio systems, although you can play with various configurations that will allow you to add more.
There are several types of speakers, including coaxial, component, and subwoofers. A coaxial speaker is one unit that houses both the tweeter, which takes care of the treble or higher range notes and the woofer, which deals with the Bass or the lower to mid-range frequencies. On the other hand, component speakers are simply a set of speakers that separate the woofer and the tweeters. Subwoofers, meanwhile, are designed to reproduce Bass and sub-bass that is typically lower than what a woofer can generate.
More often than not, car owners prefer upgrading the speakers that come with their car because its sound quality is often poor. Go for speakers that are constructed better and are usually made of cloth and foam. Some excellent speakers have rubber, metal, silk, and other synthetic materials. Car owners can enjoy full-bodied Bass, pristine sound in high-frequency ranges, and a lack of distortion with these speakers.
Amplifiers
Turning up the volume.
If you’re concerned about high volume, an amplifier is still an essential component you need to add to your system. You’ll probably need an amp with speaker-level inputs if you’re leaving the factory stereo in place, but some premium factory fitted head units come with line-level outputs.
It’s easy to overpower the speakers when you add a powerful amplifier to a factory sound system. With that in mind, consider upgrading the speakers first if you want to crank up the volume all the way blasting out of the windows.
As mentioned above, the speakers receive the audio signal from the amplifier and serve as the output devices that in turn convert the electrical energy of that signal into sound.
Despite what we said above about having great speakers, it’s also quite true that great speakers only sound as good as their amplifier. You may get an uplift in quality with new speakers alone. Still, discrete car audio systems will require more sophisticated amplifiers that can output to multiple, distinct speaker channels. A good amp can output well to tweeters and woofers, for example, and even subwoofers, for that matter.
An amplifier does precisely what its name implies; it takes the audio signal that the head unit sends out and amplifies it on its way to the speakers. Not only does an amplifier increase the power of that audio signal from the head unit, but it also improves the quality of the sound. With speakers hooked up to an amplifier, you should be able to turn up the volume without it producing crackling sounds and distorting the audio quality. The sound is cleaner, more unmistakable, all making your listening experience much much better.
Not all amplifiers are created equal, though, so you can vastly improve your car audio by simply upgrading your amplifier to superior ones.
Adding more Bass
If the only thing you’re missing is Bass, add a subwoofer to your factory system in either of the two ways:
Add an amplifier and a subwoofer.
Add a powered subwoofer. Subwoofer in a car trunk
Powered subwoofers are a more straightforward proposition, but adding an amplifier and a subwoofer allows you more flexibility. Either way, a subwoofer is the best way to get that bass thumping.
If you want to go by the easiest way to add more bass to your car audio system, a powered amplifier with speaker-level inputs is the way to go. These units combine an amplifier and a subwoofer into one unit, and they can be hooked up to any factory or aftermarket head unit.
Doing it right
The most important thing to look for is a good wiring harness specifically designed for your vehicle requirements. This harness plugs into the factory wiring, so you won’t have to cut into any of your car stereo system wires and mess up with the electricals.
Some of these wiring harnesses are even designed to plug into a new head unit altogether, which means there’s no wiring involved at all. This is the easiest way to install a new head unit, and it ensures that you can pop the factory stereo back to stock any time you want.
What Does Your System Lack?
While many other components can affect the overall audio quality, those are the top three pieces of every car audio system. Now, consider the fact that your vehicle’s sound isn’t up to your expectations. What complaints do you have?
Your Speakers Buzz
Factory-installed speakers aren’t of the best quality, but you can easily upgrade to an aftermarket set that provides a broader range of sound. If you want an upgrade, particularly in the speaker department, install a separate woofer and tweeters along with component speakers for a good midrange sound.
There Is Not Enough Power
If the sound quality simply feels like it could need more “oomph”, your amplifier is likely the culprit in this scenario. Since it delivers more power to your new speakers, you should get more clarity without any kind of distortion.
There Isn’t Enough Detail.
If you’re a music-head audiophile, you know that layers of audio are very much essential to the full sound experience. An upgraded head unit could help enhance your jazz or classical listening, taking your hearing experience to another level.
Evaluating Your Car Audio System
If your car stereo sounds OK to you, that’s exactly what all the OEMs are looking for. Even factory-installed premium sound systems usually aren’t up to mark. So how can you tell if your factory audio needs a little tender loving care?
Here’s a test that anyone can do:
Sit in your car and close all the doors and windows.
Play your favourite music and turn up the volume.
Don’t be afraid to go higher than you usually would, but try avoiding blasting the sound and go blow-out-your-eardrums high.
Listen to the music and start noticing the drawbacks.
If you need to turn up the treble due to lack of clarity, that’s something that a speaker upgrade can fix.
If you turn up the bass figure, you have the Bass sounding hollow or empty, that’s also something an upgrade can fix.
If the music sounds distorted when the volume is up really high, that’s another thing you can take care of with a bit of tinkering with the amplifying system mentioned.
So, where do you start from? There are different ways to dig into a factory sound system upgrade. Answering a handful of questions can set you on the right path:
How important is your budget? Do you have much money to spend on upgrades?
Do you want to improve the sound while keeping your factory stereo?
Would you instead ditch the factory stereo and start fresh?
How important is Bass?
Do you like listening to your music loud?
You might be surprised at how the simple act of pondering those five questions sets you on the road to building a great car audio system.
After what seems like an eternity, Exhibit hosted Exhibit Tech Awards 8.0 at Sofitel, BKC, Mumbai, on 16th December 2021. We started with selecting our nominations over two months ago. Our office is filled with ringing phones and endless mail trails—technology brands connected with our entire team to nominate their best products across all the categories.
When we spread the word on social media, we were suggested by many tech brands and their products by our trusted followers. The criteria were simple; the product should be available on sale in 2021 and ideally should be launched in the same year, matching our award categories. The pandemic had many brands slowing their launches last year, and thus some categories saw little to no launches in the past year. We aren’t the government, and hence we bent some rules to allow these products to be nominated in their respective categories.
Before we knew it, our team sorted products bombarding our office premises. From TWS earbuds to 85-inch televisions, the mix of products never fails to get our dopamine flowing. This is the eighth time we are hosting Tech Awards, but every time feels like the first time. Thanks to technology changing its pace in an ever-changing tech world. Newer products, newer brands and many unique products were just the start of the process.
A week of what seemed like a decade went by sorting the products that met our criteria. Finally, our nominations were in place, and the rest of the products were returned to their respective brands. Some categories like wearables and TWS earbuds had more entries than we anticipated. We had the best of our techies listen to the earbuds, test the wearables, and further shortlist the ones worth being the best of the rest.
Our web, social media, editors and marketing team came together as a total unit to make these nominations live on our website. We spread the word through many posts on social media, articles on the web and several emails to the respective brands. Exhibit.tech hosted a dedicated page for all the nominations, with the ability to vote for all our visitors.
The rules were simple, sign up and vote. Voters were restricted to vote only once through each IP, email ID and phone number. We wanted the voting process to be as fair as possible. And, so it was. Although some companies did opt to share the voting links among their employees and tried to increase their probability, voters across the globe are a number hard to beat. We saw an overwhelming response, and our servers were clogged for a few minutes. Votings were kept live till 10th December 2021. We witnessed IPs from across the globe voting across categories.
While the people of this world were busy voting their preferred products under each category, we had the best of professionals joining our jury panel. Meet our Jury – (Jury team and a few lines about each Eg. Arun Prabhudesai, a famous youtube tech celebrity in India with over 10.5 million followers) Our Jury brainstormed on the products nominated for a month. It was not an easy task with most Jury members located in other cities across India. Jury members risked their lives travelling, meeting and brainstorming the winners under each category.
Criteria for winning under each nomination was 60% decided by public voting and 40% by jury members. Many categories had nominees battling in a neck to neck competition, and the Jury had a hard time choosing one over the other. The Jury finalised their decisions on 8th December after hours of deliberation. Votes from the public and the Jury were counted, and our winners were decided.
Exhibit Tech Awards – The Event
Sofitel, BKC, Mumbai, was looking ready on 16th December 2021 to host the Exhibit Tech Awards 8.0. Being an invite-only event had the registration personnel scrutinising the attendees with invites, masks, vaccine certifications and everything else to ensure that the event attendees and awardees were in a safe place. Thanks to management at Sofitel, BKC, Mumbai, everyone was accommodated on their respective seats under proper social distancing guidelines. Attendees from the world of technology, Bollywood, social media influencers, bloggers and many more brought liveliness to the event. After being seated, Exhibit Tech Awards 8.0 commenced on time, adhering to strict state guidelines.
The open lawn at Sofitel, BKC, Mumbai, was our choice for the event, considering that temperatures are pleasant in Mumbai during this time of the year. Red carpet attendees were greeted and interviewed by Miss Nashpreet Singh. Before we knew it, our attendees included Mr Arjun Kapoor, Miss Tanisha Mukherjee, Miss Sanya Malhotra, Miss Ekta Maru, Mr Aryan Bajwa, Miss Claudia Cecelia and many more. A beautifully displayed Volkswagen Tiguan stood amongst the stars adding zeal to the event. The bar was open before the event started, and spirits were high. We started the show by greeting the audience, attendees, personnel, partners, and Exhibit group to arrange an outdoor event. The audience was filled with known faces across technology brands anticipating their brand and products to win.
The event started with introducing the hosts, followed by Jury introductions. Before we move further, here is our Jury – Chief executive, Reliance Digital – Mr Brian Bade, fashion and style himself – Mr Shane Peacock, a popular youtube tech and auto celebrity – Mr Arun Prabhudesai, additional DG of police and cyber security expert – Mr Brijesh Singh, ace photographer – Avinash Gowariker, joint MD at Future Retail Ltd and a tech enthusiast – Mr Rakesh Biyani, the man behind timeless tunes – DJ Aqeel, tech and gaming youtube celebrity with over 22million followers and counting – Mr Ujjwal Chaurasia and last but not the least the founder and CEO of Exhibit group – Mr Ramesh Somani.
Mr Ramesh Somani facilitated the Jury members with their gift hampers. We also started by thanking our presenting partner – Reliance Digital, which has been our pillar since Exhibit tech awards 1.0; A big shout out to Volkswagen for coming back as our driven-by partner and the all-new beautiful Tiguan parked in all its glory, our celebration partner 100 pipers and gifting partner – Carerra for making this event possible in an ongoing pandemic. This was soon followed by a sneak peek of our past Exhibit Tech Awards mashup video featuring prominent brands and celebrities.
Nominations and Winners
We started the event with Mr Shane Peacock announcing the winner of smart wearable of the year. The nominations for this category were Apple Watch Series 7, Realme Watch 2 Pro, OPPO Band Style and Noise ColorFit Pro 3. The winner for smart wearable of the year was the Apple Watch Series 7.
Second up were the nominations for Home Theatre of the Year. The competitors were JBL Cinesystem 500SI, Sony HT-S40R, Yamaha YHT-3072, Zebronics – Zeb-Juke Bar 9800DWS Pro Dolby Atmos, and Samsung’s Premiere. Mr Brijesh Singh, our honourable Jury member, presented the award to the winner for Home Theatre of the Year – Sony HT-S40R.
Before we knew it, Mr Arjun Kapoor informed us that he had to be at another event. Thus, Mr Ramesh Somani and Mr Kaushal Neverekar – President & Chief Business Officer – Reliance Digital and Mr Ashish Gupta – Brand Director, Volkswagen India, awarded Mr Arjun Kapoor – the Techy Celeb of the Year award. Mr Arjun Kapoor was honoured to receive the award and thanked the Exhibit group for the same.
The next category to announce their nominations was Gaming Gear of the Year. Nominations included – HyperX Pulsefire Haste Mouse, Predator XB3 Monitor, Logitech G Pro Wireless Mouse, Seagate FireCuda 530 with Heatsink. Mr Arun Prabhudesai, a youtube influencer, announced Seagate FireCuda 530 with Heatsink as the winner.
The headphone of the year was our next category in the queue. Nominations included – Jabra Evolve2 75, Apple Airpods Max, Sennheiser IE 300 and Bose Quietcomfort 45. Mr Avinash Gowariker presented this award to the winner – Jabra Evolve2 75.
As a breather, the event shone lights on an audio-visual spectacle of Tech Fashion tour, an exciting amalgamation of Tech and Fashion from the past six years.
Soon we ventured into the category of Premium TV of the Year. The nominations for the same were The Frame by Samsung, LG OLED G1, VU Masterpiece 85″, Mi QLED TV 75″ and Hisense 55-inch QLED TV (55U6G). Mr Kaushal Neverekar, President and Chief Business Officer, Reliance Digital, presented this award to LG OLED G1.
One of the most popular and strenuous to judge categories was TWS earbuds of the year. There were numerous nominations – Jabra Elite 7 Pro, Jabra Elite 7 Active, AIWA 80X FANC, Realme Buds Air 2, OPPO Enco X, Devialet Gemini and Galaxy Buds Pro. Mr Ashish Gupta, Brand Director Volkswagen India, announced the Galaxy Buds Pro winner.
Gaming laptop of the year had most of our voters and judges brainstorming to choose one as a winner. The result was a tie, and the nominations for the same included Acer Predator Helios 300 11th Gen, Victus by HP 16″, Lenovo Legion 5 Pro and MSI GP76 Leopard 11UG. The tie winners Acer Predator Helios 300 11th Gen and Victus by HP 16″ were presented their awards by the beautiful Miss Ekta Maru.
The most popular gadget that is least thought of in our daily use was the next category – Wireless router of the year. Nominations under this category were DLink – R15, Linksys Max-Stream Mesh WiFi 6, Tenda AC10 and Motorola MH7022 Whole Home WiFi Mesh System. The winner was DLink – R15, and the handsome Mr Arjan Bajwa presented the award.
With the growing versatility of televisions, our unique product category was 4K TV of the year. Nominations included VU Cinema TV Action Series, Realme Smart TV 4K 50″, LG C1 Series, Samsung Crystal 4K UHD and Mi TV 5X 55″. The gorgeous saree Miss Tanisha Mukherjee presented the award to Miss Devita Saraf, CEO of VU Televisions for VU Cinema TV Action Series as the winner under this category.
We all love automobiles. The audience was presented with a glimpse of all the madness we as a team witnessed riding and driving at our sister concern BBC Top gear India. It was an insane rush of some of the best beauties on wheels. Bikes, cars, roads and their exhaust notes were the perfect audio-visual nirvana for automobile enthusiasts.
One of the most talked-about categories of Exhibit Tech Awards was the Budget Smartphone of the Year (Below 20k). Nominations were tough competitors, namely Moto G60, Redmi Note 10 Pro Max and Nokia G10. Our Jury member Mr Arun Prabhudesai announced Motorola G60 as the winner.
Moving on from budget smartphones, the next category and one of the most selling ones across Indian markets is Budget Television of the Year. The nominations – Hisense 55A73F (Tornado Series), Acer Boundless Series 43-inch, Intex LED 5012, Xiaomi Mi 5x and Samsung Crystal 4k UHD. The winner of this category – Xiaomi Mi 5x was a crowd and Jury favourite for the value proposition it brings to the table.
The professional camera of the year is one category that sees the same players in the industry. Nominations here were pretty new products from the camera giants of this realm – Canon EOS M50 Mark II, Nikon Z7 II, Panasonic Lumix and Fujifilm GFX 50S II. Looking stunning, Miss Claudia Ciesla presented the award to our winner – Canon EOS M50 Mark II.
Tech Leader of the Year is another category at Exhibit Tech Awards, witnessing loads of competition. Competing against the best among the best, Mr Madhav Sheth, CEO, Realme India, was awarded this honour. Due to travel and covid reasons addressed the attendees via an audio-visual presentation and thanking note.
Our next category was Storage Device of the Year with nominators SanDisk Expand Wireless Charger Sync, Toshiba Canvio Flex 4TB Portable External HDD and Seagate One Touch with Password and WD My Passport SSD. Presenting the winner WD My Passport SSD was our Jury member Mr Arun Prabhudesai.
Luxury Tech of the Year saw many products that made no sense together apart from their price tag and target audience. Nominations ranged from Acer Concept D, Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Carbon, Sennheiser IE 900, Apple Watch Series 7 Hermes, Galaxy Z Fold3 5G and Samsung Neo QLED TV. Mr Krissan Barretto presented the award to Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G.
Our founder and CEO, Mr Ramesh Somani, presented our awardees starting with Innovative Tech of the Year. Nominations were a mixed bag, including Jabra PanaCast 50, Hypervolt GO, Zhiyun Weebill 2 Pro, Apple Macbook Air M1 and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G. The winner for this category was Jabra PanaCast 50 for its exciting innovations.
Following the innovations in the tech industry was the award for Innovative Tech in the Auto industry. Mr Ramesh Somani presented this award to JK Tyres for their Smart Tyre technology.
We have been A-1 since Day-1 when it comes to recognising influencer talent. The Exhibit group has recognised talent all across India for the past three years, and everyone present at the event was given a little glimpse of our IP – InfluencEX Awards
Lenovo ideapad slim 51 was awarded the winner for WFH Laptop of the Year. It was a tough competition among the nominations – HP Pavillion Aero 13, Acer Swift 3, Realme Book (slim) and the winner of this category. This category was introduced thanks to the new working habits during an ongoing pandemic.
Our next category is for workaholics around the globe. A machine that will work tirelessly irrespective of your work, flight and sleep schedules. The nominations for the Business Laptop of the Year included Dell Latitude 9520, Acer TravelMate P2, Lenovo ThinkPad T14 and MSI Summit E16 Flip A11UCT. Being a crowd favourite and aligning with Jury votes, the winner for this category was Dell Latitude 9520.
Camera Smartphone of the Year is one category with numerous nominations. Our top picks nominated were Motorola Edge 20 Pro, Vivo X70 PRO+, Oppo Reno 6 Pro 5G, Mi 11 Ultra 5G and Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G. Vivo X70 PRO+ was awarded the best among the rest in this category by Mr Kaushal Neverekar, President and Chief Business Officer, Reliance Digital.
With the gaming craze hitting the youth and young at heart in India, our next category was interesting – Gaming Smartphone of the Year. Nominations included Realme GT 5G, Motorola Edge 20 Pro, Oppo Find X3 Pro, Asus ROG 5, iQOO 7 Legend and Galaxy Z Fold3 5G. Mr Vijay Mahar presented the winner – Asus ROG 5 as the best gaming smartphone of the year.
The A+ tier is the Premium Smartphone of the Year award. Nominations were heavy hitters like the OnePlus 9 Pro, Realme GT NEO2 5G, Oppo Reno 6 Pro 5G, Apple iPhone 13 Pro and Vivo X70 Pro+. Miss Ekta Maru presented the award to Apple iPhone 13 pro as the year’s premium smartphone.
All the winners were called on stage alongside our founder and CEO, Mr Ramesh Somani, Mr Kaushal Neverekar – President & Chief Business Officer – Reliance Digital and Mr Ashish Gupta – Brand Director, Volkswagen India, for a group photo. The awardees were in plenty and filled the stage from one end to the other.
Last but not least, the dynamic trio of Mr Ramesh Somani, Founder and CEO, Exhibit group, Mr Kaushal Neverekar – President & Chief Business Officer – Reliance Digital and Mr Ashish Gupta – Brand Director, Volkswagen India presented the stunning in red Miss Sanya Malhotra as the disruptive talent of the year awardee.
Exhibit Tech Awards
After months of public and jury voting, Mr Ramesh Somani thanked the attendees and the awardees for winning their awards. The event ended on a high with a bar and dining open to all present. Our partners were thanked for their association, and the 8th edition of Exhibit Tech Awards was a great success with happy smiling faces all across the open lawns at Sofitel, BKC, Mumbai.
Maruti Suzuki sales are banking on products that cater to mass-market audiences, at least in India. With the sales plateau and the world slow-down (read as lockdown), it is time for something new. Maruti has been studying the demographics in India and, adhering to the mindset of young professionals, launched the all-new Maruti Suzuki Celerio.
The new Celerio is available in six different colours – Speedy Blue, Arctic White, Solid Fire Red, Glistening Grey, Silky Silver, Caffeine Brown with a young audience in mind. The design is a complete overhaul compared to the ageing Celerio launched in 2014. Noticeable changes include curves that translate all over the exterior fascia and then some. The wheel arches are neatly designed to give a sense of bulge without actually protruding. The most exciting section is how curves on the front and rear doors make the car like a concept design made real for the masses. Curved headlights, curved front doors, a (mandatory to Indian markets) chrome strip splitting the nose grill, indicators integrated ORVMs, and a shrunk down Baleno inspired tail section make the Celerio look like a major overhaul to its earlier design.
The new Celerio is 55 mm wider than before. Also, its wheelbase is now 10 mm longer, making it 2,435 mm. The new Celerio has a 170 mm ground clearance, 5 mm more than the old model, making it easier to tackle all road undulations. Our top-of-the-line ZXi+ variant also comes equipped with keyless entry assist next to conventional upward pull door handles. Unlike its predecessor, the A-pillar is also sanely sized, which created a huge blind spot for the driver in the earlier model. What comes exclusively to the ZXi+ variant are the 15″ alloy rims with 175 section Yokohama tyres. All other variants come with standard 14″ rims and 165 section tyres.
Hop inside, and the all-new tagline feels justified cocooned in varied textures of black fibre all across the interiors. The earlier Celerio did come with part analogue and part digital console, but Maruti has overhauled the same approach on the new Celerio. The background textures are symmetrical geometric shapes with a clean and understandable round design that matches the new Celerio DNA. It looks amber clad, round, modern and youthful, with ample information for the driver. There are tonnes of textures on the dashboard, all in black fibre. Gone are the door controls from the doors, and everything now sits in the central bay. For better or for worse, the central console flaunts a 7-inch Smartplay touch infotainment system with support for wired Android Auto and Apple car play support. Do understand that only the top-end variants get this feature. The centre console extends adjacent to the front row seats ending with window controls for the rear seats.
Doors of the Celerio are barebones with no control units, but they make up for it with large door pockets, enough to place six full-size bottles across four doors. Apart from the base variant, all other variants get electronic controls for ORVM adjustment on the right side of the steering. This panel also features the switch for auto start-stop feature. Seats are cushioned well enough with integrated headrests for both front and rear seats. Thanks to the additional wheelbase, space at the rear is comfortable and ample for three teenagers. A healthy 313 litres boot space apart from a sink well for the spare wheel makes the car spacious enough for long trip luggage. Note that the boot storage lip is high and could be a hurdle when loading heavy baggage.
We drove the ZXi+ manual, and automatic variants, which come equipped with steering mounted controls, adjustable steering, height adjust for the driver seat and most bells and whistles of the lot. Such creature comforts are a welcome addition to the Celerio. That said, Maruti has also introduced the K10C 1-litre engine with this car. The engine is the same across the various variants, with AMT (AGS) offered upwards of the VXi variant. This engine is run by a 5-speed manual and automatic transmission and produces impressive 25+km/l mileage, a segment-leading number. Let’s check out how it feels to drive.
The new K10C engine is potent and carries the signature torque-oriented appeal. On paper, the engine makes 67bhp at 6000rpm and 89Nm of torque as low as 3500rpm. In the real world, the first gear seems short and to the point. Shifting up to the 2nd and 3rd gear with a bit of throttle reveals a healthy powerband that can stretch in 3 digits and way over the legal limitations on Indian roads. The engine is happiest over 1200rpm and pulls strong right up to 6000rpm. The 4th gear is excellent on highways with enough grunt to overtake, albeit in linear power delivery. 5th gear is best suited for comfort cruising which this engine does not mind doing all day long. The steering is electronically controlled, but the inputs are precise, and feedback is ample to feel the road underneath. What came as a surprise is how this car handles within city limits. At times, the steering, engine and chassis come together to make one feel like they are driving a much smaller car than the spec sheets suggest. This characteristic is excellent for novice and experienced drivers irrespective of their sex, age and other choices. The increased ground clearance and dimensions also make the car rock-solid on highway and in city speeds. There is a certain sense of body roll when carrying a few people and maneuvering the car at high speeds but never too intrusive in the overall driving experience.
One thing to be noted was the way this engine sounds when revved and performance-driven. We should make it clear that our cars were brand new off the assembly line. When stressed, the engine produces a growling noise, and the NVH levels aren’t the best in class either. While the sound felt like the engine was small, its performance did not match the sound output. Maybe a few oil changes would make this engine sound calmer, but it is worth noting nonetheless. The overall characteristic of the engine makes it a perfect choice to be driven on city and highway commutes without leaving the driver unsatisfied.
Increased wheelbase, better creature comforts, capable engine and new design language make the new Celerio look like a good competition in the crowded hatchback segment. Yes, some competitors like the Tata Tiago and Hyundai’s line-up add more features in comparison, but none have the K-series engine dynamics to match their stature. Still, in isolation, the Celerio matched with Maruti’s vast service network is a good budget option for anyone looking to get a new age hatchback with minimal running costs.
The Indian Automobile Industry is ranked as the 5th largest in the world and is expected to move up to be the 3rd largest by 2030. Despite this impressive growth, India still needs a dramatic shift in the mobility sector so as to cater to its vast, ever-growing population. With the crude oil prices drifting up internationally, as well as the rocketing fuel prices, the existing models might not suffice in the coming years; as technology needs to be environment-friendly and cost-effective at the same time. What, then, should be the alternative?
Electrification certainly seems to be the talk of the town in this regard. It would do a great deal in reducing vehicular emissions – which are a key contributor to air pollution, a major and looming issue today in all the big, crowded cities of the country. The Indian auto industry has been buzzing with new innovations and trends with respect to this in the recent years. It all started with the “Reva” electric car which made its debut in the year 2001 (and later got acquired by Mahindra), and a few e-rickshaws which entered the market at that time. Since then, there have only been a few automakers (both four & two wheelers) to fill the gap. But the concept of electric vehicles, that used to turn just a few heads, is now catching everyone’s attention. It can definitely be said that electric vehicles are on their way to becoming a lucrative solution & a bright reality.
Besides the strengthening of EV and related component manufacturing, the battery prices are also expected to fall by more than 30% by 2025, which will make electric vehicles more affordable over the period of time. Also, the government of India has announced various tax redemptions and subsidies to further encourage more people to consider EVs. Under the Make In India programme, the manufacturing of EVs and their associated components is expected to increase. On the economic front, large-scale adoption of electric vehicles is expected to bring down the dependency on foreign oil & petroleum imports. The running cost of EVs, as compared to fuel could fall as low as Rs 1.1/km from that of Rs.6-10/km of a diesel or petrol vehicle , helping an electric vehicle owner save up to Rs. 20,000 for every 5,000km traversed.
Further, a holistic e-mobility ecosystem is complete only with an effective charging infrastructure & e-mobility service providers (rentals, charging spots, battery swapping stations etc.) and related regulations. Currently, charging infrastructure for EVs is an area of concern; however, there have been some positive developments with more and more OEM’s entering the market with their products and collectively helping set and grow the infra across the country.
The demand for electric vehicles in our country is driven by the concern of fast-charging batteries coupled with great performance & extended driving range. Indians are known for being value-conscious & thus the number of EVs selling today is less. Talking money, the running cost of a diesel/petrol vehicle can be tremendously more than that of an EV, but the initial investment is what gets heavy on the pockets. It is this mentality which needs to be changed.
For automotive players today, the primary challenge is to develop quality battery packs with extended range and longer lifespan; batteries which are safe and can store & deliver a lot of energy. In the current ecosystem, lithium ion batteries have emerged as the most suitable option.
Reservations do exist among consumers today due to the limited range of these vehicles and the lack of charging facilities, as well as the high operating costs behind setting up Public Charging Stations (PCS) – the burden of which would be passed on to them in the form of higher tariffs. As a result, EVs are only used for short, irregular trips and have yet to become the norm. However, despite these infrastructural limitations, continuous investments are taking place in the research and development arena to make EV and associated technology more cost-effective. Along with this, an increasingly facilitative role is being played by the Government in providing concessions to encourage their adoption. Finally, with the realization of the practical realities surrounding traditional vehicles and their externalities, these factors will cumulatively begins to shape the consumer’s preferences favourably towards EVs. They will surely become a viable and optimal alternative in the coming future, with immense potential to transform the landscape, and usher in a new era for the automobile sector.
India can benefit on a large scale with the widespread adoption of e-mobility. Various government interventions can definitely play a vital role in advancing electric mobility in the country. Indian policymakers have been actively pushing EV adoption in the recent years, by introducing various plans like NEMMP (National Electric Mobility Mission Plan, 2020) , the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric vehicles (FAME) and other electric campaigns under different state governments.
Damn internet. You must have felt this frustration whenever you wanted to make a payment and the internet went down. The dependency on the online payment due to the internet is high, and you feel handcuffed. But what if you get to know that now your UPI or other payment portals like Paytm won’t need internet. Yes, a popular organization named NPCI has come up with this announcement. To know more about this development on UPI payment without internet, adhere to patience and get every information from this writing piece.
Offline Payment System
Before bringing the concept of UPI, NPCI came up with a methodology that allowed you to transfer a substantial amount. This National Unified USSD Payment methodology has another name, *99# service. NPCI (National Payment Corporation of India) has decided to integrate this offline payment service with UPI. This step will bolster the UPI and digital payment transactions considering the latest figures show that it was somewhere around INR 6.39 lac Crores in the last month.
Steps to Use This New Payment Platform
Before heading first with this platform, you need to install the BHIM app. Give the right details related to the mobile number linked to your account while configuring the mobile app. After installing the app, follow the given instructions mentioned below:
Open the caller application on your smartphone and press *99#.
The menu will open that offers several options like sending money, receiving money, checking balance, my profile, pending requests, transactions, and UPI.
Press 1 if you want to send the money. Choose the choice among the options coming – UPI ID, Bank Account Number, or phone number.
If you want to use the UPI ID, fill in the right ID and proceed further.
Next, enter the amount that you would like to send or transfer to the recipient.
At the last stage, all you need is to enter the UPI PIN related to your account and all set to make the first transaction without switching on the mobile data.
Final Remarks
One key point you need to note is that an additional amount of INR 0.50/- will be incurred on you every time you use this provision. Considering it to be very minimal, you don’t have to think about it. With this UPI payment without internet service, there will be a greater push coming to digital transactions. To follow other trending news on Exhibit, click on this link. For other tech-based blogs, click here.
The usage of drones will increase for sure. And, India is adopting this new change. As of now, Exhibit has discussed the defence prospects of drones. But, with the new Liberalised Drone Rules, 2021, Exhibit will set up a new agenda for you with this blog. Through this write-up, you will get to know more about the newly formulated regulations related to UAVs. In addition to this, Exhibit will lay down its review on this executive order passed by the Ministry of Civil Aviation. Let’s get started!
Why has the concerned ministry brought such rules?
If you want to operate drones for any specific purpose in India, you need to have permission for it. And, for this purpose, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) becomes important. Hence, if you are a collector who wants to do an aerial and unmanned survey of the district under your control, you cannot simply procure a UAV and start using it. With the new regulations, MoCA has tried to liberalize in terms of getting permission, registering your device with the nodal portal.
Key Takeaways from Drones Rules, 2021
The number of forms related to registration and other purposes got reduced to 5 from 25.
The quantum fee got delinked with the size of the UAV. Hence, a bigger or smaller drone will cost similar unless the functionality differs in any case.
The yellow zone near the airport got shrunk to 12 km from 45 km. It means if you are somewhere within a radius of 20 km from that place’s airport, you can fly the UAV without any hassle.
The mandate for remote pilots regarding micro and nano drones got scrapped.
No need for import clearance from DGCA, meaning you got relief on buying foreign UAVs.
Now, you can fly a drone up to 500 kg.
All these regulations showcase that such steps will surely bolster the drone ecosystem flourish in the country soon.
Lacunae in the Picture
The Liberalized Drones Rules, 2021 has no doubt opened gates for many who want to enter this domain. However, MoCA should work closely with other ministries, especially the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to regulate its sale in the country. A nation like India can become vulnerable if such gadgets reach the hands of left-hand extremists in any way. For this purpose, nodal agencies should set up local centers or give power to the local administration. In addition to this, reducing the perimeter of flying a drone near the airport needs more cautious surveillance as it becomes necessary to keep track, considering the weight of drones has increased.
Conclusion
The Government at this stage has set up an easy policy for the people to get a conducive environment and harness drones as per their usage. Some clauses that have a word like non-commercial depicts prudence, but some remain unchecked. Drones can no doubt change this country’s economic and social realm, but it needs better regulation to keep things stable. If you want to check other defence blogs at the Exhibit platform, click here. For my other article, check out here.
Many of you have remembered the movie – Sarfarosh. A line comes there regarding AK-47 that even if someone keeps it underground for years, it will fire smoothly once taken out. The AK-47 gun always made news whenever there was some sort of serious assault going on. Our Indian army, too, used this in their combat operations. But, this time, the Indian army will get an upgraded assault rifle – AK-203. India has decided to buy 70,000 of these rifles from Russia in a recent defence procurement deal. Let’s get more ideas on this new assault gun through this Exhibit blog.
About AK-203
The recent Indian army requirement will help to replace the existing Indian Small Arms System (INSAS) 5.56mm × 45mm assault rifle. If one properly observes this weapon, this gun has 30 rounds in a magazine. Without a magazine, the weight of this gun is somewhere around 3.8 kg, and the firing range of AK-203 is 800 m. The best part of this weapon system is that it is 100% accurate and highly reliable. Hence, such guns will help the Indian army to strengthen their deterrence, apart from Carbine and Tavor guns.
India-Russia Deal
The current deal is a part of the project to build almost six lacs AK-203 rifles in India. This joint venture production is among Ordnance Factory Board, Kalashnikov Concern, and Rosoboronexport. The proposed deal also talks about 100% localized sourcing of materials during production. Russia is one of the biggest defence partners when it comes to getting defence technology products from India. India has been developing BrahMos missiles in collaboration with Russia. The current import of these guns will happen within three months after the payment of this deal gets completed.
Roadblock in the Deal & its Resolution
This defence deal of indigenous production hit a roadblock when OFB quoted a higher price than importing them to India. What happened was that OFB stated that it would take extra hours to build such ammunition if the transfer of technology takes time or gets delayed. Earlier, it was a bit of a perplexing situation, but once OFB came out with the reason, the Defence Ministry set up the committee to work on its amicable resolution. After the solution came out, the Russian President’s visit in late 2020 was the final nail to this procurement process.
Final Remarks
AK-203 ammunition will prove to be a boon for sure for the Indian army. Considering the deal and observing it showcases how the Indian contingent has worked on ensuring that indigenous production will help them lower the procurement price. Exhibit has covered more articles on defence technology that you can check by clicking on this link.
Ever heard of Kamikazee or Blitzkrieg? If not, check out your history books and go through World Wars chapters. It is no less than a flock of weapons giving a surprise attack. But, considering the modern radar technology, making such surprise attacks on aerial space is impossible. So, what to do then? The answer is drone swarming. Drone swarming is a concept that aims to enable autonomous drones to work together as a group for a certain goal. This technology holds the reputation to change how we live and how we work in the near future. Let’s know more about drone swarms through this Exhibit blog.
What are drone swarms?
Many claims that it was they who introduced this drone swarming technology. But, it was Russians who witnessed it during the year 2018. Russians were able to crack down on this flock through their EW&SHORAD system. Drone swarms became a favourite when it comes to destroying oil facilities present in West Asian nations (being an Indian, we will use this term instead of Middle East, coined by Americans and other European countries) like at Aramco unit in Abqaiq and Khurais. And, when the world got hit by COVID-19, a region near Central Asia went through double turmoil conditions, with Azerbaijan and Armenia going to war. This war also witnessed the use of such acumen by Azerbaijan at that time.
Working of Drone Swarming
Drone swarms are the best example of how UAVs coordinate with each other and follow a pattern. It seems that there is a communication line existing between each of them whenever they are maneuvering in any area. During their movement, each of them exchanges information and accordingly follows the pattern. If you hit any of the drones, they will again interact and make a new formation to keep the entire system stable. Hence, these UAVs not only have functionalities of monitoring the rotor and its speed, but it also has to send signals through their network. If any entity gets shot down, the intelligence algorithm among them will bring changes. The following pattern has got its inspiration from a bunch of flies moving in a specific direction. The one controlling these drones, or even if not controlling them, will observe the alignment, separation, and cohesion among these UAVs.
Does India possess Drone Swarming technology?
When we are talking about Drone swarms in other countries, it also becomes important whether we also hold such elements in our campaign or not. And, yes, we do have. Feeling a sense of pride within you? I am sure you may somewhere feel relaxed that we have such modern techniques of warfare with us. A public sector undertaking, HAL, has recently showcased the Air-Launched Flexible Asset (ALFA -S) air-launched swarming drone system. ALFA-S was developed under the Combat Air Teaming System project. Seeing its potential, the US Air Force has also collaborated with India to work more on it.
Final Remarks
Drones are future weapons of warfare, and drone swarms are inevitable. Even a follower of realism will consider such induction of technology as a big achievement. And, having drones swarming will also provide a better edge in terms of displaying our smart power. To follow other defense-based tech articles on the Exhibit platform, click here.
