According to Arvind Gupta, the head of Digital India Foundation, a public platform is something that is built around the concept of openness, standard and trust. It is backed by the government and not by any private entity.There are about nine platforms with billion plus users each across the world.

Five of them are in the US and four in China. And none of them are government backed. With Aadhaar, India built the world’s first and largest public digital platform. It is now being used in banking, KYC and several other fields. It led to some sort of digital revolution, like the birth of UPI which ended the duopoly of two international operators in India. It allows you to send or receive money irrespective of the payment platforms on which you are registered.And now, Nandan Nilekani — who helped the government create the biometric identification for almost 1.4 billion people after co-founding Infosys — believes that Open Network for Digital Commerce or ONDC meets all the criteria for the next revolution and disruption in India.

It has the government’s commitment, the market condition is rife and there is a massive shift to e-commerce after the pandemic.ONDC seeks to level the playing field for small merchants in the country’s fragmented but fast-growing $1 trillion retail market.

While addressing a conference, Nilekani recently said that ONDC is very similar to National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) — which is also a non-profit section 8 company.Giving some details, Nilekani said that ONDC will put in place the ground rules, the network participation rules, the obligation and dispute resolution.

It will have set of top class protocols to govern the online trade. It will lead the country towards transaction-led internet from the western model of advertisement-led internet.The small-scale implementation of ONDC kicked off on Friday last week. This pilot is being conducted across Delhi, Bengaluru, Coimbatore, Bhopal and Shillong.

It will be later launched in 100 cities over a period of six months.ONDC will set protocols in critical areas like price discovery, vendor match, and cataloguing, ostensibly in open source.

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Tech giant Microsoft has reportedly launched a new feature for Office Insiders that will allow iPhone users to listen to documents with their screen locked.

According to Windows Central, the Insider version of Word on iOS now supports listening to documents even when a device’s screen is locked.

Additionally, the Insider Office Mobile app now keeps track of PDF email attachments sent to Outlook. The documents will appear within the Shared tab in Office Mobile.

“Using this feature on your iOS device is a great way to step away from the screen and give your eyes a break while listening to documents,” reads the changelog from the Office Insider website.

“Now we have added the capability for this feature to continue reading even after your device screen has locked,” it added.

The report mentioned that being able to find all PDFs that were sent as email attachments should be a handy feature for Office users as well.

Microsoft positions the Office app on iOS and Android as a hub for all Office activity.

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Google has been rather sceptical about changing Chrome’s interface and layout, given its vast user base. However, such changes may be in progress in its Chrome web browser, with the addition of a customizable toolbar shortcut.

Google on Android has been following a traditional approach with the toolbar with the home button, address bar, tab switcher, and overflow menu, housing many such actions.

According to 9to5Google, Google now appears to be more widely rolling out a ‘toolbar shortcut’ between the Omnibox and tab button/counter. One of three actions can appear here: New tab (plus sign), Share, or Voice search (microphone).

By default, the button users see is ‘Based on your usage,’ with Google providing a ‘Current recommendation.’ ‘New tab’ and ‘Share’ are already placed in the overflow menu, while the ‘Voice search’ appears on tapping the address bar.

Toolbar shortcuts date back to Chrome 92 for Android in July 2021. It was introduced to some people as part of a regular A/B test. Even after version 101 went stable on Tuesday, its availability has been much higher in the last few weeks, although Google hasn’t officially announced the features yet.

This addition is a small change in a large scheme, but represents a non-negligible UI addition to the Chrome layout for Android. Google should consider this button a big enough improvement for users to roll out.

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TVS Motor Company has posted a 24 per cent growth in its sales to 295,308 units in April 2022, as compared with 238,983 units in April 2021.

In the two-wheeler segment, its sales grew by 24 per cent from 226,193 units in April 2021 to 280,022 units in April 2022. During the month, domestic two-wheeler sales grew by 37 per cent to 180,533 units as against 131,386 units during the same month last fiscal.

Motorcycle sales grew by 4 per cent, from 133,227 units in April 2021 to 139,027 units in April 2022. Scooter sales also grew by 57 per cent, from 65,213 units in April 2021 to 102,209 units in April 2022.

“The shortage in the supply of semiconductors has impacted the production and sales of premium two-wheelers. Just as we had done last year, we are working aggressively with alternate sources and taking every effort to improve supplies at the earliest. Our new products have been well received by the customers and we are optimistic that volumes will revive once the semiconductor supplies improve,” a company statement said.

The company’s total export sales grew by 6 per cent, from 107,185 units in April 2021 to 113,427 units in April 2022. Two-wheeler exports grew by 5 per cent, from 94,807 units in April 2021 to 99,489 units in April 2022. Three-wheeler sales of the Company grew by 20 per cent from 12,790 units last year to 15,286 units in April 2022. In the electric vehicle segment, the domestic two-wheeler sales include TVS iQube Electric sales of 1,420 units in April 2022.

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The State Bank of India recently announced interest rate on home loans at just 6.65%. But not everyone can avail the loan at such a low rate. For that, his or her credit score has to be excellent.The country’s largest lender is providing home loans at attractive interest rates for those with good credit scores. And not just loans, a decent credit score will also help you get credit cards too.So a good credit score helps you avail personal, consumer and other types of loans and credit cards easily. But, what exactly is the concept of credit score? Let us find out.

There are four credit information companies or credit bureaus in India whose credit scores are popular with both lenders and borrowers.

These are TransUnion CIBIL, Experian, Equifax, and CRIF High Mark.A borrower’s credit score ranges between 300 and 900. For a bank or lender, your credit score reveals your creditworthiness as a borrower.

Scores that are at least 750 or above are deemed to be good.Your credit score is based on your credit history, which encompasses whether you have been making timely repayments, the number of times you have borrowed, the amounts you have borrowed, the type of loans you have availed of, and other relevant factors.Timely repayment of EMIs on loans as well as credit card bills is also an important factor.The score is assigned to you based on your data mentioned in the Credit Information Report, or CIR.

For example, Experian’s CIR has detailed information of the concerned person’s credit and loan history, including identity information, credit cards, credit accounts, loans, payments, and recent enquiries.

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OnePlus on Thursday launched in India its entry-level premium smartphone, the OnePlus 10R 5G. The smartphone comes in two variants, one with 150W charging-tech (150W SUPERVOOC Endurance Edition) and the other one with 80W charging-tech (80W SUPERVOOC). Both the variants are identical, but with different battery capacities and charging technologies. The OnePlus 10R 5G 150W SUPERVOOC Endurance Edition has a 4,500 mAh battery, supported by industry-leading 150W fast-charge technology. The OnePlus 10R 5G 80W SUPERVOOC has a 5,000 mAh battery, supported by 80W fast-charge technology. Other details are as follows:

OnePlus 10R 5G: Specifications

Powered by MediaTek Dimensity 8100-Max system-on-chip, the OnePlus 10R 5G comes in two RAM and storage variants – 8GB + 128GB and 12GB + 256GB.

Both the variants boast LPDDR5 RAM and UFS3.1 storage. The 150W SUPERVOOC Edition is exclusive to 12GB + 256GB configuration, and the 80W SUPERVOOC variant comes in both 8GB + 128GB and 12GB +256GB models.

The OnePlus 10R 5G sports a 6.7-inch FHD+ AMOLED screen of 120Hz adaptive refresh rate and up to 720Hz touch response rate. It is a 10-bit HDR10+ certified screen with support for sRGB and DCI-P3 colour gamut. The smartphone is powered by Android 12 platform-based OxygenOS 12.1 interface.

Imaging is covered by triple-camera set-up on the back, featuring a 50-megapixel Sony IMX766 primary sensor with optical image stabilization, an 8MP ultra-wide-angle sensor of an 119.7-dergree field-of-view, and a 2MP macro lens. On the front, the phone has a 16MP in-display camera sensor.

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OnePlus on Thursday launched in India its most affordable 5G smartphone, the Nord CE 2 Lite 5G. The smartphone boasts thin and lightweight design, FHD+ screen of 120Hz refresh rate, 5000 mAh battery with fast-charge support, and 64-megapixel based triple camera set-up on the rear. Here are the specifications, pricing information, and sale details of the OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G:

OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G: Specifications

The Nord CE 2 Lite 5G is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 5G system-on-chip, paired with 8GB LPDDR4x RAM and 128GB UFS 2.2 on-board storage. The smartphone packs a 5,000 mAh battery, supported by 33W SUPERVOOC fast-charging technology. OnePlus ships the phone with both the fast-charging adaptor and cable in the box.

The Nord CE 2 Lite 5G has a 6.59-inch FHD+ LCD screen of 120Hz refresh rate.

The screen supports sRGB and DCI-P3 colour gamut. The smartphone has a triple-camera array on the back, featuring a 64-megapixel primary sensor of an f/1.7 aperture, 2MP depth-assist camera of an f/2.4 aperture, and a 2MP macro lens of an f/2.4 aperture. On the front, the phone has a 16MP camera sensor (in-display punch-hole)

The Nord CE 2 Lite 5G boasts dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.2 with support for LDAC and LHDC codecs, 3.5mm audio jack, and hybrid SIM slot for storage expansion through microSD card.

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OnePlus on Thursday launched its maiden Nord-branded wireless earbuds called Nord Buds. The earbuds boast lightweight design, large audio drivers, long on-battery time, fast-charge support, and ingress protection rating for water and dust resistance. Here are the features, price information, sale details of the OnePlus Nord Buds:

OnePlus Nord Buds: Features

The Nord Buds are powered by 12.4mm titanium dynamic drivers tuned for rich and balanced audio output. Though entry-level earbuds, the Nord Buds boast support for Dolby Atmos. The wireless earbuds have two microphones on each side for attending calls. The earbuds supports artificial intelligence-powered noise reduction technology for clear in-call experience in loud ambience environments. According to OnePlus, the Nord Buds have an on-battery time of 30 hours (with case) on a single charge.

The buds support Flash Charge for fast-charging. According to OnePlus, the Nord Buds gets five-hour audio playtime on a 10-min charge. The Nord Buds are IP55 rated for water and dust resistance. Moreover, the earbuds have a sweat-resistant hydrophobic nano-coating for protection against corrosion. Connectivity is covered by Bluetooth 5.2. The Nord Buds support OnePlus fast-pairing with supported OnePlus smartphones.

OnePlus Nord Buds: Price information and sale details

The OnePlus Nord Buds will go on sale on May 10 on OnePlus online store, OnePlus Store App, Amazon India, OnePlus Experience stores and other offline partner stores. The wireless earbuds will be available in black slate and white marble colours, priced at Rs 2,799.

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WhatsApp will within weeks roll out cashback rewards to lure more Indians to its peer-to-peer payments service and is testing similar incentives for merchant payments, two sources said, as the company seeks to compete with rivals including Google.

The latest move comes days after WhatsApp won regulatory approval to more than double its payments offering to 100 million users in India, its biggest market with more than half a billion users overall.

WhatsApp will before the end of May launch the cashback offer of up to 33 Indian rupees ($0.40) for transfers users make on its payments service, which allows contacts to send each other funds from within the messenger app, said the sources, who have direct knowledge of the company’s plans.

The incentive, spread over three transactions, will be given irrespective of the amount being transferred, even if it is as little as 1 Indian rupee, in what one source described as WhatsApp’s “user acquisition drive.”

The WhatsApp cashback amount may appear small, but Neil Shah, vice president of research at Counterpoint Research, said it would be a “compelling enough” reason for users to switch.

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Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) on Wednesday said it has joined hands with Indian Bank to facilitate easy finance for customers.

As part of the partnership, the company’s customers can avail the loan benefits in over 5,700 plus branches of Indian Bank at metro, urban, semi-urban and rural locations.

Maruti Suzuki customers, under this exclusive scheme, can avail loans up to 90 per cent of the on-road price of the car besides getting benefits of zero processing charges, free accidental insurance cover up to Rs 30 lakh, free fastag and repayment tenure up to 84 months on their loans. The scheme is open till June 30 2022.

“About 80 per cent of retail sales in the automobile industry happen through financing and to enable our customer’s car-buying decisions, Maruti Suzuki has initiated several partnerships with banks & NBFCs across the public and private sectors. It is our firm belief that this partnership with Indian Bank will go a long way to cater to the diverse finance requirements of our customers,” MSI Senior Executive Director (Marketing and Sales) Shashank Srivastva said in a statement.

The country’s largest carmaker has a vast network of 3,357 new car retail outlets across 2,156 cities and towns.

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