Expanding its ZenBook series, Taiwanese tech giant ASUS on Wednesday unveiled two new laptops — ZenBook Duo 14 and ZenBook Pro Duo 15 OLED — in India.

Starting at Rs 99,990, ZenBook Duo 14 (UX482) is now available across online and offline channels, while ZenBook Pro Duo 15 OLED (UX582) will be available from mid-May at a starting price of Rs 2,39,990.

“At ASUS, our job is to keep pushing the limits on innovation and try to go above and beyond the expectations of our consumers,” Arnold Su, Business Head, Consumer and Gaming PC, System Business Group, ASUS India, said in a statement.

“We are very excited to introduce this product to the Indian market, encouraging our consumers to push boundaries and ‘Live out of Line’,” Su added.

The ZenBook Duo 14 is Intel Evo verified and features up to 11th Gen Intel Core i7 processor with Intel Iris Xe graphics.

It also comes with the option of an NVIDIA GeForce MX450 GPU. The ZenBook Duo boasts of a 14-inch LED-backlit Full HD 1080p display with 100 per cent sRGB coverage, the company said.

Apart from the dual-screen, the ZenBook Pro Duo 15 OLED comes loaded with up to 10th Gen Intel Core i9 processor backed by NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 and 32GB of DDR4 RAM.

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With more than 58 million installs in March, TikTok became the most downloaded non-gaming app worldwide last month, said a new report.

TikTok was followed by Facebook which became the second most installed non-gaming app worldwide for March with more than 56 million installs, showed the data from app analytics firm Sensor Tower.

Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger – all of which are part of the Facebook family of apps – rounded out the top five most installed non-gaming apps worldwide for the month.

The countries with the largest number of TikTok installs were from Douyin in China at 11 per cent, followed by the US at 10 per cent, Sensor Tower said.

The countries with the largest number of Facebook installs were from India at 25 per cent, followed by the US at 8 per cent.

The other apps which made it to the top 10 in the overall list include Snapchat, Josh, Zoom, Telegram and CapCut.

However, the data showed that Facebook retained the top position in terms of downloads from Google Play Store.

ShareChat’s short video platform Moj also made it to the top 10 list of most downloaded non-gaming apps worldwide from Google Play Store for March, according to Sensor Tower.

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Mitron TV aims to double its user base to 100 million over the next six months as the Indian short-video firm introduces new monetisation mechanisms for creators on the platform, a top company executive said.

The company, which has completed one year of operations, had seen strong jump in user base after the Indian government last year banned a number of apps with Chinese links, including Mitron TV’s rival TikTok.

“It’s been a very exciting journey in the first year, we more than 50 million net installs (downloads) on the platform, organically. We started as a two-member team last year, now we have more than 55 members,” Mitron TV co-founder and CEO Shivank Agarwal told PTI.

He added that the company aims to have more than 100 million users on the platform in the next six months.

About 22 per cent of the userbase are creators who have posted more than two videos on the platform.

In June last year, the Indian government had banned 59 apps with Chinese linkages, including TikTok.

Since the ban, several homegrown apps like Roposo, Chingari and Josh (Dailyhunt) have seen significant growth in downloads and user signups on their short video platforms.

Facebook-owned Instagram had also joined the race with Reels, while YouTube pitched its India-first “Shorts” to fill the void created after the TikTok ban.

Many of these companies have also raised millions of dollars in funding to accelerate their growth plans.

Mitron TV has raised USD 5 million in funding from investors including Nexus Venture Partners, 3one4 Capital and angel investors like Deep Kalra (Make My Trip), Amrish Rau (Pine Labs), Jitendra Gupta (Jupiter Money) among others.

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By Nandita Bose and Stephen Nellis

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden met with executives from major companies on Monday to discuss the global chip shortage that has severely hurt U.S. automakers and spurred Intel Corp to announce it plans to make chips for car plants at its factories in the next six to nine months.

During the meeting, Biden said he has bipartisan support for legislation to fund the semiconductor industry. He previously announced plans to invest $50 billion in semiconductor manufacturing and research as part of his broader focus on rebuilding U.S. manufacturing included in his $2 trillion infrastructure plan.

Intel Chief Executive Pat Gelsinger, who attended the meeting virtually, told Reuters the company wanted to start producing chips at its factories within six to nine months to address a shortage that has idled assembly lines at some U.S. automotive plants.

The supply crunch could lead to a potential 1.3 million shortfall in U.S. car and light-duty truck production this year.

“We’re hoping that some of these things can be alleviated, not requiring a three- or four-year factory build, but maybe six months of new products being certified on some of our existing processes,” Gelsinger said. “We’ve begun those engagements already with some of the key components suppliers.”

Intel last month announced plans to vastly scale up chips manufacturing for outsiders as it builds new factories in the United States and Europe. Its talks with automotive suppliers disclosed on Monday represent an acceleration of those plans.

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A senior Apple Inc executive has agreed to testify before the U.S. Senate on competition issues related to mobile app stores, days after panel leaders criticized the company for refusing to appear.

The company said in a letter sent to senators, seen by Reuters, that Chief Compliance Officer Kyle Andeer will be available to testify at an April 21 hearing held by part of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

App makers have long complained that mandatory revenue sharing payments and strict inclusion rules set by Apple’s App Store for iPhones and iPads, along with Google’s Play store for Android devices, amount to anticompetitive behavior.

On Friday, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat, and Mike Lee, a Republican, sent a letter to Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook calling it “unacceptable” the company was refusing to send a witness. The pair are leaders of the Senate Judiciary panel’s subcommittee on competition policy and antitrust.

Google has already agreed to testify at the hearing, according to Klobuchar’s spokeswoman.

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Samsung is all set to launch Galaxy M42, its first mid-segment 5G smartphone in India, later this month that will be priced between Rs 20,000-Rs 25,000, industry sources said on Monday.

Galaxy M42 will be the first ‘M’ series smartphone with 5G connectivity.

Industry sources told IANS Galaxy M42 is tipped to be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G processor and is likely to launch in 6GB and 8GB RAM variants.

Galaxy M42 will also get ‘Knox Security’, the first for a Galaxy ‘M’ smartphone.

Samsung Knox offers multi-layered security to smartphones and defends the most sensitive information from malware and malicious threats.

Galaxy M42 5G will be available on Amazon.in and Samsung.com, besides select retail channels.

Samsung has launched a number of 5G smartphones in India this year in the premium segment.

Samsung’s most premium foldable smartphone Galaxy Z Fold2 comes with 5G connectivity in India.

All three variants of Galaxy S21 launched in India support 5G connectivity.

Samsung also launched the 5G variant of Galaxy S20 Fan Edition in India recently.

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Samsung is all set to launch Galaxy M42, its first mid-segment 5G smartphone in India, later this month that will be priced between Rs 20,000-Rs 25,000, industry sources said on Monday.

Galaxy M42 will be the first ‘M’ series smartphone with 5G connectivity.

Industry sources told IANS Galaxy M42 is tipped to be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G processor and is likely to launch in 6GB and 8GB RAM variants.

Galaxy M42 will also get ‘Knox Security’, the first for a Galaxy ‘M’ smartphone.

Samsung Knox offers multi-layered security to smartphones and defends the most sensitive information from malware and malicious threats.

Galaxy M42 5G will be available on Amazon.in and Samsung.com, besides select retail channels.

Samsung has launched a number of 5G smartphones in India this year in the premium segment.

Samsung’s most premium foldable smartphone Galaxy Z Fold2 comes with 5G connectivity in India.

All three variants of Galaxy S21 launched in India support 5G connectivity.

Samsung also launched the 5G variant of Galaxy S20 Fan Edition in India recently.

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In yet another bid to offer top-of-the-line specifications packed in a stylish machine, market leader Lenovo has brought a new laptop — Yoga Slim 7i Carbon — to India that will appeal to both entrepreneurs and millennials.

Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Carbon, a Windows 10 Home laptop, comes in two CPU options — 11th-Gen Core i5 and 11th-Gen Core i7.

This is paired with either 8GB/16GB LPDDR4X RAM clocked at 4266MHz, up to 1TB PCIe Gen 3 NVMe SSD, integrated Xe GPU to handle the graphics.

It is now available at a starting price of Rs 1,19,990.

According to the market research firm IDC, Lenovo led the global traditional PC market (including desktops, notebooks and workstations) in the first quarter of 2020 with a 24.3 per cent share, as the worldwide shipments grew 55.2 per cent (on-year).

The new Yoga Slim 7i Carbon laptop, which weighs 0.97 kgs, is powered by the latest 11th-Gen Intel Tiger Lake CPUs. It is also Intel EVO certified, which brings the perfect combination of performance, responsiveness and long-lasting battery life to the laptop.

We used the laptop for a few days and here’s how it performed.

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Private equity fund manager True North has sold a part of its holding in PolicyBazaar to five buyers after selling the first stake in October 2020.

True North said it continues to be invested in the company after selling its stake to Ashoka India Equity Investment Trust, Triumph Global Holdings, Serum Institute of India, IIFL Special Opportunities Fund Series 8 and India Acorn Fund .

“We’ve had a great partnership with PolicyBazaar over the last three years. We are extremely pleased with the company’s sustained growth momentum and efficiency in delivering great results in spite of the challenging market conditions. We will continue to support PolicyBazaar as it heads towards public markets in the next 12-15 months and scripts many more success stories,” said Divya Sehgal, Partner at True North.

“True North has been and continues to be a good friend, advisor and has supported us as an investor through the last few years. We are grateful for that, and glad to see them having a good partial exit, we welcome on board the new shareholders. True North continues to be an investor and we thank them for the confidence,” said Yashish Dahiya, CEO, Policybazaar.

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PumPumPum, a startup that gives used cars on lease, has secured Rs 5.5 crore in a funding round led by Inflection Point Ventures. Lets Venture & Agility Ventures were other investors in the round.

The company will use the money for consumer awareness, technology development, brand building and expansion. “Car leasing and subscription is fast catching pace in the country and has a great future ahead. To take this niche category to newer heights, we are consistently expanding our reach along with tech disruption and high decibel consumer awareness. We are committed to offer a hassle-free smart car experience with zero down-payments, zero maintenance charges and zero insurance premiums,” said Tarun Lawadia, founder and chief executive officer of PumPumPum.

The company’s monthly subscription ranges between Rs 10,000 to Rs 1 lakh “We are confident that the capital infusion will help us in category disruption and strengthen our product development, marketing and expansion plans,” said Lawadia.

Average ownership of firsthand used cars in India is approximately 24-30 months. Leasing a car for a year is affordable and hassle-free, said the company, which was conceptualized by Lawadia and Sameer Kalra.

“The new age workforce mantra is to lease assets like house, consumer durables and even cars so that it keeps them detached and mobile when changing jobs or home base. This is the new customer segment that PumPumPum is aiming to capture and we believe its potential will explore in the coming 5 years,” said Vinay Bansal, Founder & CEO, IPV.

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