Earlier this week, Microsoft announced that it is planning to depreciate WordPad — an app that has been a part of the Windows operating system for almost 28 years, reports Bleeping Computers.When Microsoft will discontinue WordPadWordPad has been a part of the Windows operating system since the days of Windows 95. It has been almost 28 years since the app was first released. With the upcoming Windows update, Microsoft has announced its plans for discontinuing the native and free word processing app. According to the report, future Windows updates will discontinue the word processors. That said, Microsoft hasn’t confirmed any specific date for this as of now.Noteworthy part is that Microsoft has already made WordPad an optional app since Windows 10 Insider Build 19551 update. The change also rolled out in stable builds and users now have the option to uninstall apps via Windows’ Optional features control panel.What options users will have apart from WordPadThere’s no shortage of word processing apps and services today. There are several open source word processors available in the market. Some of them are completely free. Talking about Windows, Microsoft has its own Notepad app for basic word processing or there’s the Microsoft Word (requires Microsoft 365 subscription) for advanced word processing. Then there’s Google Docs that lets users edit any word file format online without even downloading any separate app on the device.Then there are LibreOffice, Zoho Docs, WPS office and several other third-party word processing apps. How users will be affectedFirst and foremost, we don’t know many people who use WordPad as their go to word processing software. Even though there are some users who rely on this will have enough alternatives to move to. Meaning, WordPad getting depreciated won’t affect users much.

Chandrayaan 3’s rover ‘Pragyaan’ has completed its assignments on the lunar surface and set into sleep mode, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has announced. The space agency’s announcement came just hours after ISRO chief S Somanath said that the lunar mission’s rover and lander, ‘Pragyaan’ and ‘Vikram‘, respectively were functioning well and they would be put to “sleep” soon to withstand the night on the Moon.“The Rover completed its assignments. It is now safely parked and set into Sleep mode. APXS and LIBS payloads are turned off. Data from these payloads is transmitted to the Earth via the Lander,” ISRO said in a post on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.Sunday, which is the 12th day since India achieved the historic soft-landing on the lunar surface, will see both Vikram and Pragyan retire for the night, Chandrayaan-3 project director P Veeramuthuvel told TOI in an exclusive interaction. “If we look specifically at the rover, we’ve managed to cover more than 100 meters in just 10 days, while several other missions that have lasted longer, even as long as six months, have only managed 100-120 meters,” Veeramuthuvel said. “This means the command to put the rover to sleep has been enabled and it will go to sleep only Sunday as there are some tests that need to be done,” Veeramuthuvel explained.What if Chandrayaan 3’s rover ‘Pragyaan’ does not wake up“Currently, the battery is fully charged. The solar panel is oriented to receive the light at the next sunrise expected on September 22, 2023. The receiver is kept on,” added the post. The post further added, “Hoping for a successful awakening for another set of assignments! Else, it will forever stay there as India’s lunar ambassador,” explaining a scenario of what happens in case the Chandrayaan 3’s rover ‘Pragyaan’ does not wake up. On why an early sleep mode given that the designed life of the lander and rover were 14 Earth days, Veeramuthuvel said, “We cannot count the first two and last two days. The lunar day began on August 22 and our landing was almost at the end of the second day. From there, both Vikram and Pragyan have performed exceptionally to exceed our expectations. All mission objectives have been met and we will enter sleep mode tomorrow (Sunday).”In its short life on Moon, Pragyan is reported to have completed traversing more than 100 meters as of September 2, which marked the 10th day of its deployment, which happened early on August 24, several hours after Vikram’s soft-landing on August 23.“If we look specifically at the rover, we’ve managed to cover more than 100 meters in just 10 days, while several other missions that have lasted longer, even as long as six months, have only managed 100-120 meters,” P Veeramuthuvel, Chandrayaan-3 project director, told TOI.

Founders must decide whether it’s the right time to continue, and secure funding at a potentially lower valuation, or to pursue an exit, said Rishubh Satiya Startup cofounders looking to raise funds at a higher valuation should think on the lines of VCs as to whether they have the capacity to increase their valuation 4X, added Satiya India’s D2C startup ecosystem, which is home to 50K digital-first brands, has seen rapid consolidation in the past one year, with investors placing their bets on potential exits  The D2C startup ecosystem has been thriving in recent years, boasting of over 50K digital-first brands. In this rapidly evolving landscape, consolidations are becoming increasingly inevitable, with investors placing their bets on potential exit opportunities. When it comes to acquisition, timing is the most crucial factor, according to Rishubh Satiya, the cofounder of D2C nutrition brand Plix, which was acquired by Marico. Satiya emphasised the significance of timing, saying, “I’ve witnessed this scenario frequently. People tend to underestimate their current situation. You need to discern when it’s the right moment to exit and when it’s best to stay and reserve the option to exit.” He shared these insights during a panel discussion on “The BIG Exit – How D2C Brands Can Develop an Exit Strategy” at the fourth edition of Inc42’s D2C Summit 2023. The session was hosted by Angshuman Bhattacharya, national leader of consumer products & retail sector at EY India. Joining Satiya on the panel were Pranav Malhotra, founder of Trunativ; Prabhkiran Singh, CEO and cofounder of Bewakoof; and Mohit Sadaani, cofounder of The Moms Co. Satiya said founders often prefer to raise funds at a higher valuation rather than pursuing an exit. However, during such moments, they should reflect on whether they have the capacity to increase their valuation from ‘X’ to ‘3X’ or ‘4X’, as venture capitalists would anticipate. Therefore, once again, timing plays a critical role. Founders must decide whether it’s the right time to stay invested, secure funding at a potentially lower valuation to allow the team to focus less on metrics and grow at their own pace, or to pursue an exit and find comfort in that decision. Established in 2020 by Satiya and Akash Zaveri, Plix is a Mumbai-based D2C startup that offers a diverse range of plant-based nutrition products, including workout supplements, ingestible sunscreens, hair growth serums, and skincare items. In July 2023, Marico, a leading FMCG company, acquired Plix, marking a strategic move to expand its presence in the nutrition segment and enhance its position in the health and wellness category. The plant-based D2C brand now plans to leverage Marico’s extensive resources to strengthen its offline presence over the coming years. Earlier, Plix secured $5 Mn in its Series A funding round from Guild Capital and RPSG Ventures in December 2021. Since its inception, the startup has consistently increased its turnover. In the financial year 2019-20, it reported a turnover of INR 10.92 Cr, which surged to INR 41.58 Cr in FY21. The company closed FY22 with a turnover of INR 106 Cr. Competing with brands like OZiva, Setu Nutrition, and Fast&Up, Plix offered more than 60 SKUs across six categories at the start of the year. These products were available through the company’s website, ecommerce platforms, and physical stores, catering to over 1.5 Mn customers nationwide.

Apple is expected to roll out iOS 17 sometime later this month. In all probability, after September 12 once the new iPhones are launched, iOS 17 should arrive on iPhones. iOS 17 includes a new and interesting feature called Standby, which turns your iPhone into a smart display when it’s locked and charging. Standby lets you view widgets, photos, and other information on your iPhone’s screen, even when it’s asleep.How to turn on Standby mode– Make sure your iPhone is running iOS 17.– Place your iPhone in landscape orientation on a MagSafe or Qi-based wireless charger.– The Standby mode will automatically turn on. If it doesn’t, go to Settings > StandBy and toggle the switch on.Once Standby is enabled, you can customise it in various ways– You can choose from a variety of widgets, including the clock, calendar, weather, music, and photos.– You can drag and drop the widgets to rearrange them.– You can use a photo from your library or a default image.– There’s also a dual widget functionality. To use the dual widget, swipe left or right on the Standby screen. This will show you a different set of widgets.You can use Siri hands-free. Just say “Hey Siri” to ask a question or control your smart home devices. Furthermore, you can see Live Activities. Standby mode will automatically show Live Activities for apps that support them, such as Messages, Music, and Maps. Also, just because the iPhone is in Standby mode, it doesn’t mean notifications will disappear. You’ll still see notifications on your iPhone when it’s in Standby mode.To disable Standby mode, go to Settings > StandBy and toggle the switch off.Things to keep in mind– It only works when your iPhone is locked and charging.– It only works in landscape orientation.– You can’t use your iPhone for anything else while it’s in Standby mode.

Ten out of the 16 new-age tech stocks under Inc42’s coverage gained between 1% and 15% this week, with recently-listed Yudiz emerging as the biggest winner Despite revival in the broader market that broke the five-week losing streak, shares of Paytm, Nykaa, DroneAcharya, and MapmyIndia fell; Paytm declined almost 5% In the broader market, Sensex rose 0.77% while Nifty 50 gained 0.9% this week, largely aided by the positive Q1 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) numbers New-age tech stocks continued their winning run this week on the back of a recovery in the broader domestic equity market. Ten out of the 16 new-age tech stocks under Inc42’s coverage gained this week between 1% and 15%, with the recently-listed Yudiz emerging as the biggest winner.   Yudiz got listed on the NSE SME platform on August 17 this year at INR 185 apiece. This week, the startup’s shares jumped 14.8% to end Friday’s session at INR 202.7. CarTrade Technologies, Nazara, EaseMyTrip, Delhivery, and Zomato were among the other gainers of the week. However, despite the revival in the broader market that broke the five-week losing streak, shares of Paytm, Nykaa, DroneAcharya, MapmyIndia, Fino Payments Bank, and ideaForge fell this week. Paytm slumped almost 5%, emerging as the biggest loser this week. In the broader market, Sensex rose 0.77% while Nifty 50 gained 0.9% this week. The benchmark indices rallied significantly on Friday alone, as Sensex jumped 0.86% and Nifty 50 0.94% to end the week at 65,387.16 and 19,435.30, respectively. The rally on Friday was largely aided by Q1 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) numbers. According to the National Statistical Office’s data, India’s GDP grew by 7.8% in the April-June quarter of FY24 as against a 6.1% growth in the preceding quarter – Q4 FY23. Stepping into the new month, the market is brimming with various domestic and global macroeconomic indicators that are expected to sustain their momentum, said Pravesh Gour, senior technical analyst at Swastika Investmart. However, he said that “below normal” monsoon rainfall this year is expected to have a significant impact on market trends. Meanwhile, Amol Athawale, vice president of technical research at Kotak Securities, said, “While there will be some challenges going ahead due to weak monsoon activity, overseas funds may continue to bet on India due to signs of strong growth performance going ahead.”  “Technically, the Nifty has formed a double bottom formation on daily and intraday charts, which indicates a strong possibility of a fresh uptrend rally from the current levels,” he added. Now, let’s dig deeper into the performance of some of the new-age tech stocks this week.   The 16 new-age tech stocks under Inc42’s coverage ended the week with a total market capitalisation of $37.24 Bn as against $36.36 Bn last week. Paytm The Biggest Loser Reversing the 4.6% gain last week, shares of Paytm declined 4.7% this week.  The drop came after Antfin (Netherlands) Holding B.V. sold 2.27 Cr shares, or a 3.6% stake, in the fintech major last Friday. Besides, we must also note that after months of anticipation, Reliance announced this week that its newest entity Jio Financial Services (JFS) will offer products in the payments and insurance segments. Earlier, many analysts said that the entry of deep-pocketed JFS could pose a significant competitive threat to Paytm. During Reliance’s annual general meeting, its CMD Mukesh Ambani called JFS as the world’s highest capitalised financial services platform at inception. However, Paytm’s gains still remain a significant 61.5% year to date (YTD). Kotak Securities’ Athawale said Paytm looks positive on the technical charts and the stock is holding a higher-bottom formation and is ready for the next rally.  “The immediate support for the stock is around INR 830-INR 840 and on the higher side INR 920 is possible,” said Athawale, adding that further upside is also possible which can see the stock rising up to INR 940. Nazara Touches 52-Week High Shares of Nazara Technologies jumped 8.2% on Thursday to reach a 52-week high of INR 814.30 on the BSE this week. Though the stock pared some of its gains to end the day at 777.75, it was at a level last seen at the end of April last year. Overall, Nazara shares gained 7.4% this week, ending Friday’s session at INR 759.2 in the exchange. In The News For: Though the stock is facing some profit booking at a higher level, the texture is largely bullish, said Kotak Securities’ Athawale. “The immediate support for the stock is around INR 720-INR 725. As long as the stock is trading above that, the upside momentum is likely to continue,” said Athawale, adding that Nazara shares could reach INR 810-INR 825 in the medium term. Nazara shares are currently training around 31% higher YTD. SoftBank Offloads Almost Half Of Its Stake In Zomato  SoftBank’s SVF Growth (Singapore) offloaded Zomato shares worth INR 947 Cr in a block deal this week.  As of quarter ended June 2023, SVF held 28.7 Cr shares in Zomato, which translated to a 3.35% stake in the foodtech major. In its latest block deal, the VC major sold 10 Cr Zomato shares, or 1.16% of its stake in the company. Following SoftBank’s stake sale, Zomato shares fell in two consecutive sessions, reversing the sharp rise seen at the beginning of the week. Despite the fall, the startup managed to gain 6.9% this week, ending Friday’s session at INR 97.23 on the BSE. It must be noted that the shares sold by SoftBank were bought by several investment firms and banks, including BNP Paribas Arbitrage, Citigroup Global Markets Mauritius, Axis Mutual Fund, and Morgan Stanley Asia Singapore. Meanwhile, Zomato, on Friday, informed its stakeholders that Lunchtime, a step-down subsidiary of Zomato Limited, situated in the Czech Republic initiated the liquidation process. “…the dissolution of Lunchtime will not affect the turnover/revenue of the Company,” Zomato said. This week, Zomato also announced the launch of a chatbot, Zomato AI, to enhance the customers’ overall food ordering experience. After a rally, Zomato shares have started

What is Supply Chain Management? Supply chain management (SCM) is the strategic orchestration of activities that encompass the planning, sourcing, manufacturing, distribution and customer service aspects of a product’s journey from inception to consumption. SCM seeks to optimise efficiency, reduce costs and enhance customer satisfaction throughout this intricate process. Supply chain management can be categorised into various types: Lean Supply Chain: Focusses on minimising waste and maximising efficiency. Agile Supply Chain: Emphasises flexibility and responsiveness to changing market demands. Green Supply Chain: Aims to reduce the environmental impact by promoting sustainable practices. Reverse Supply Chain: Deals with the return and recycling of products and materials. In addition, key function areas of supply chain management include: Planning: Forecasting demand, aligning production and scheduling resources. Sourcing: Selecting suppliers, negotiating contracts and managing relationships. Manufacturing: Overseeing production processes, quality control and efficiency. Distribution: Optimising the movement of goods, warehousing and transportation. Customer Service: Ensuring timely and accurate delivery, and addressing customer concerns. What Is The Difference Between Logistics And Supply Chain Management? Logistics is a subset of supply chain management that specifically focusses on the planning, implementation, and control of the efficient movement and storage of goods, services, and information within and between organisations. While supply chain management encompasses a broader spectrum of activities, logistics is a crucial component that ensures the seamless flow of products. Why Is Supply Chain Management Important? Effective supply chain management holds paramount importance for several reasons: Cost Efficiency: Streamlining the supply chain reduces wastage, enhances resource allocation and lowers operational costs. Customer Satisfaction: Efficient supply chain management ensures timely and accurate deliveries, enhancing customer satisfaction and loyalty. Competitive Advantage: A well-managed supply chain can lead to faster time-to-market, giving businesses a competitive edge. Risk Mitigation: Supply chain management identifies and addresses potential disruptions, minimising risks. What Is Global Supply Chain Management? Global Supply Chain Management Global supply chain management pertains to the complex coordination of activities across international borders. It involves managing diverse regulations, customs, cultures and time zones to ensure a seamless flow of products. The post Here’s Everything You Need To Know About Supply Chain Management appeared first on Inc42 Media.

Chinese smartphone maker Infinix has expanded its product portfolio with the launch of the new Zero 30 5G smartphone. The smartphone promises improved camera quality and performance. Infinix Zero 30 5G is the first smartphone to feature a 50MP front camera and sports a 144Hz AMOLED display. The smartphone also has a 108MP primary camera and is powered by a MediaTek chipset.Infinix Zero 30 5G is now available for pre-order while the company is also offering discounts and no-cost EMI with select bank cards.Infinix Zero 30 5G: Price, availability and offers The smartphone will be available in two different colour options — Rome Green and Golden Hour. Infinix is also offering instant discounts and 6-month no-cost EMI for Axis Bank card holders. The company is also offering a Rs 2,000 instant discount for Axis Bank card owners. Model FSP(Rs) Axis Bank Instant Discount(Rs) CC/DC & EMI NEP(after bank price) 6 Month Axis NCEMI Zero 30 5G (8/256) 23999 2000 21999 3667 Zero 30 5G( 12/256) 24999 2000 22999 3833 Infinix Zero 30 5G: Key specsInfinix Zero 30 5G sports a 6.78-inch Full HD+ 10-bit curved AMOLED display which is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5. The display supports a 144Hz variable refresh rate and 1080*2400 resolution. The latest smartphone also features an in-display fingerprint sensor.The smartphone is powered by MediaTek Dimensity 8020 6nm chipset which is backed by up to 12GB RAM and 256GB storage. For optics, the Infinix Zero 30 has a Samsung ISOCELL JN1 50MP sensor in the front for selfies and video calls. The selfie camera is assisted by a Dual LED flash setup and eye-tracking Auto Focus technology and can record 4K videos at 60FPS. The smartphone also houses a dual rear camera setup that includes — a Samsung ISOCELL HM6 108MP primary sensor which supports Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) a 13MP ultra-wide camera with a 120-degree field of view. The rear camera module also has a quad LED flash setup.This smartphone packs a 5000mAh battery that claims to charge 0-80% in 30 minutes. Infinix Zero 30 also ships with a 68W PD 3.0 Super Charger. For connectivity, the smartphone supports Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3.

Large-scale cloud adoption has accelerated India’s innovation drive, and organizations are significantly investing in their cloud offerings to sustain this momentum, says recent report from EY-FICCI. The EY-FICCI cloud report is titled ‘India’s cloud and data revolution: From adoption to enabling innovation’. According to the report, the current wave of cloud adoption goes beyond migration and emphasizes leveraging the cloud’s capabilities to optimize processes, enhance customer experiences, and unlock new revenue streams.Commenting on the findings of the report, Abhinav Johri, Partner, Technology Consulting, EY India, said, “Leadership in the age of the cloud is about more than just technology; it’s about unlocking the full potential of innovation, efficiency, and growth. With 80% of Indian organizations adopting the cloud to enable a range of business capabilities such as intelligent applications with Gen AI, native functional & data products, and highly intuitive orchestration platforms the imperative is clear: embrace the cloud not merely as a tool, but as an enabler of transformative change”India becoming a global cloud hubTalking about India’s role, the report says that the country is evolving into a hub for cloud-first companies, with major cloud regions located in Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Pune. Indian GCCs (Global Capability Centers) have become cloud engineering hubs for global companies. India has become a potentially significant market for cloud service providers (CSPs). CSPs have rapidly established new cloud regions in India, expanding the array of cloud-native services available to Indian enterprises.GenAI success to be driven by cloud and dataIndia is currently experiencing a golden era of disruptive technologies in data and technology. Leading enterprises that were early adopters of cloud computing have shifted from using the cloud primarily for cost optimization and operational efficiency to leveraging cloud services for building their next-generation digital platforms. The broader objectives that companies aim to achieve through cloud adoption include data modernization, application modernization, agility, business growth, and innovation.The report adds that the success of Generative AI is closely tied to cloud computing, as it relies on large datasets and robust computing infrastructure, both of which are inherent features of cloud technology. The adoption of Generative AI is expected to lead to increased data usage and greater consumption of cloud resources. The advantages of using the cloud for Generative AI, include scalability, access to pre-trained models, and simplified integration into existing applications. However, it is imperative a strong framework for responsible Generative AI use, considering potential concerns such as data leakage and biased output. Striking the right balance between sector-agnostic guidelines and sector-specific considerations is crucial.Cloud to drive data infrastructure modernisationThe survey reveals that organizations are increasingly utilizing the cloud for data infrastructure modernization, deriving benefits from their data, and gaining new insights. Furthermore, organizations are looking at achieving business growth, fostering increased collaboration, enhancing workplace productivity, ensuring security, and safeguarding data privacy.The survey states that 49% of organizations adopt the cloud to modernize their data infrastructure, with larger organizations leading at 55%. Additionally, 78% of organizations are implementing cloud strategies for app modernization, and 40% of organizations are using the cloud for collaboration and workforce productivity.Cloud for data monetisation and innovationThe exponential growth in data footprints of organizations has necessitated the exploration of newer data monetization techniques. Shifting data workloads to the cloud offers various advantages, with primary motivators including data monetization (63%), developer productivity (51%), and innovation and incubation (43%). The survey results also indicate that cloud adoption helps enable data and analytics capabilities for 80% of organizations.

Jampp, a programmatic mobile marketing company that helps mobile app advertisers acquire and re-engage consumers has released an iOS SKAdNetwork 4.0 (StoreKit Ad Network) Guide to help APAC app marketers scale their business on Apple devices. The SKAdNetwork is Apple’s API-based, privacy-centric framework that provides ad measurement and insights to advertisers with no user level data. Version 4.0 was released in October 2022 for iOS 16.1 and later with features that gave stakeholders more control over granularity of insights, measure customer re-engagements for up to 35 days (referred to as postbacks), lock and finalise conversion values, an expanded 4-tier privacy threshold that will allow marketers to optimise their campaigns, and many more. The latest guide from Jampp is intended to empower advertisers across APAC markets with insights and strategies to fully leverage SKAdNetwork 4.0–for driving privacy-centric app growth for their Apple iOS apps.According to the industry average, in India, only 36% of users allow advertisers to track their IDFA (Identifier for Advertisements) – a random device identifier assigned by Apple to a user’s iOS device. Given this finding, Jampp feels that marketers who choose not to test SKAdNetwork are potentially failing to a reach over 60% of their iOS users. The company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Affle, has stated that those who have invested in SKAN campaigns are already seeing positive results, securing full coverage of their iOS audience and achieving enhanced campaign performance.Apple devices have been expanding their presence in APAC over the last few years and this year, India joined China and Japan as one of the countries in Apple’s top 5 iPhone markets, presenting app marketers with a wider demographic set to tap. However, effective advertising on iOS has become a challenge for app marketers after the introduction of Apple’s privacy-focused App Tracking Transparency (ATT) framework in 2021. It limits user data tracking for mobile marketing, which makes it difficult to serve personalised ads and accurately measure campaign ROI.Apple later released SKAdNetwork, a solution for users who opt-out of being tracked by advertisers and Jampp’s latest guide will help advertisers navigate version 4.0 to get the most out of their iOS campaigns.

Ananth Technologies (ATL) has announced that it partnered with Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in the country’s first-ever solar mission — Aditya-L1. India’s first solar mission, Aditya-L1 was successfully launched from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, at 11.50am on Saturday. Aditya is travelling on the ISRO-designed, 320-tonne PSLV XL rocket that has powered earlier launches to the Moon and Mars. Aditya-L1 is a satellite dedicated to the comprehensive study of the Sun. It has seven distinct payloads — five by Isro and two by academic institutions in collaboration with Isro — developed indigenously.In a release, the company sad that for Aditya-L1, it played a role by manufacturing numerous avionics packages. These packages encompass a wide array of components, including on-board computers, Star sensor, Modular EED systems, payload DC-DC converters, etc. For PSLV-C57 launch vehicle, ATL supplied 48 subsystems such as SARB, NGCP, Quad SBU, tracking transponder and various other interface units and did complete Assembly, Integrationand Testing (AIT). The PSLV-C57 is said to be the seventh launch vehicle successfully integrated by ATL team and five more launch vehicles are currently under integration.The company is a partner for ISRO in precision engineering and high reliability manufacturing for space applications.Dr Subba Rao Pavuluri CMD of ATL, expressed his enthusiasm about Aditya-L1 program. “We are thrilled to be a part of the Aditya-L1 Program. This partnership represents asignificant milestone for us, as we contribute our technical excellence and manufacturing to support India’s space exploration endeavours.” The partnership with the Aditya-L1 Program solidifies Ananth Technologies’ commitment to advancing India’s capabilities in space technology.”ATL is headquartered in Hyderabad, with dedicated facilities in Thiruvananthapuram for the fabrication, assembly, testing, and supply of advanced electronic packages, computer systems, and various sub-systems for launch vehicles, as well as integration of launch vehicles. In Bengaluru, ATL has established extensive facilities for satellite manufacturing.