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  • Reliance launches its own video conference platform JioMeet to compete with Zoom, Google Meet

    After launching JioMart, Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Jio has launched JioMeet video conferencing app with unlimited free calling on July 2. JioMeet  is available across Android, iOS, Windows, macOS and web. Jiomeet plans to compete Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet during the Coronavirus outbreak. On April 30, Jio parent Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) had revealed its plans to launch the JioMeet platform while announcing its quarterly earnings for the fourth quarter.

    As people are forced to change ways of working due to the COVID-19 crisis, video calling has emerged as a necessary tool for businesses to function. Hence, platforms like Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet have become increasingly popular. Now, to compete with these apps, Reliance Jio has decided to enter the market with its own video conferencing app JioMeet.

    However, Jio Meet won’t be a regular video calling platform as the company also plans to integrate its Health platform with it. It will allow users to consult with doctors online and much more. Interestingly, Jio already had an app on Google Play Store listed as JioHH Doctor that allows doctors to offer their services online So this app could possibly be integrated with JioMeet.

    In its Q4 fiscal results, Reliance mentioned that it is launching a video calling platform for India. Senior VP at Reliance Jio Infocomm, Pankaj Pawar, said,
    “Jio Meet is a platform which has many unique options- it actually has an ability to work on any device, any operating system, and it has an ability to do a complete collaboration. And effectively, this collaboration does not limit to a typical video conferencing app.”

    A report states that the Jio Meet app works across different platforms and is available on Android, iOS, macOS, Microsoft Windows and also as a third party plugin for Microsoft’s Outlook email service for enterprise customers. Moreover, the service will be available on browsers(web). It will have a dedicated website that will allow users to join a meeting, irrespective of the platform they are using.

    JioMeet Features

    The company has said that it is ensuring that the service is easy to use and doesn’t come with a lot of complexities. It is also being said that the final version of the app will have health features along with integration with education services like virtual classrooms for students and more.

    The website for JioMeet is listed on Google Search. Users can visit it by going to https://jiomeet.com/. However, it isn’t live yet and you will be greeted by the message saying “India’s own most secure video conferencing solution coming soon.” The website will come into operations soon as Jio has been released officially.

    JioMeet offers features like Zoom and Google Meet. It allows the host control options and to record logs of audio and video calls. JioMeet will also offer HD audio and video quality during the video conference across all devices, similar to Zoom. JioMeet allows unlimited meetings per day. The meetings can be scheduled in advance and details shared with invitees. Unlike Zoom, JioMeet users can expand any participant’s video or shared screen video by a double tap.

    JioMeet offers easy sign up option with either mobile number or e-mail ID. It allows users to host instant meetings while Zoom allows sign up only with e-mail ID. In JioMeet, each meeting is password protected. The host can also enable ‘Waiting Room’ to ensure no participant joins without permission. It also allows for the creation of groups and single-click calling or chatting.

    With JioMeet, users can initiate a video conferencing with their friends, family or colleagues at work. The service supports HD audio and video call quality with up to 100 participants in a group. In one of the screenshots on Play Store, the number of users is more than 200 which indicates the possibility of the increase in limit.

    Moreover, JioMeet also lets you adjust video call quality according to the network zone thus ensuring zero lag. JioMeet also might have many features like locking the meeting. It might also let users share the screen. It lets host control who can join the meeting alomg with control to remove the unwanted attendees if required.

    Apart from all these features, Jio plans to offer healthcare and education services along with video conferencing. Jio’s eHealth platform integrated with the Meets app will allow users to consult doctors virtually. The eEducation platform will create virtual classroom for students and teachers, record sessions and notes, assign and submit homework.

    Also Read: Mukesh Ambani Is All Set To Revolutionize The E-Commerce Industry with JioMart

    How can users use Jio Meet?

    The Reliance Industries stated,
    “Jio Meet is a platform which has many uniqueness- it actually has an ability to work on any device, any operating system, and it has an ability to do a complete collaboration. , this collaboration does not limit to a typical video conferencing app.”

    As the JioMeet app has been officially released here’s how to use Jio Meet once it goes live.

    • Download Jio Meet from Google Play Store or Apple App Store
    • Open the app and it will display a login page that asks email or mobile no. for access. This will be same for all users including the enterprise users.
    • Users can Sign-in with OTP on the bottom right corner, just below the login button.
    • Enter your mobile number to get a verification code and enter the OTP to log in.
    • Once logged in, you can make audio and video calls and can even initiate a group video call by adding you Jio Meet contacts to a group.
    Jio Meet Conference
    Jio Meet will be releasing across many Platforms

    JioMeet Vs Zoom Differnce

    Basic free plan

    The main JioMeet VS Zoom difference is that JioMeet app currently allows 100 participants in on a group video call which can last up to 24 hours with no restrictions whereas Zoom imposes a 40-minute time limit on group meetings of three or more people up to 100. After 40 minutes a new and fresh meeting has to be started. Other features include ‘Safe Driving Mode’ while driving, multi-device login support for up to five devices and seamless switching from one device to other while on call.

    User Experience

    The user experience of both JioMeet & Zoom app is quite similar. JioMeet is available across all platforms such as Androids, iOS, Windows, macOS and etc. JioMeet download can be done from the app store. Users can download JioMeet from its official website as well.

    JioMeet users can schedule meetings in advance, create password-protect meetings and create waiting room as well. However, the video quality has been limited to 720p so far. But users can also use third-party camera apps for better video quality. Zoom also provides this feature.

    There are three paid plans for Zoom users – for small teams, another for small and medium-sized enterprises and lastly for large enterprises. The plans start at ₹1,120 per month, that allows 9 participants per host. For larger enterprises, Zoom allows up to 1,000 participants in one meeting. On the other hand, JioMeet app has not announced its paid plans as of yet. Hence, it is still unclear as to how JioMeet app will accommodate large enterprises. So JioMeet is likely to announce paid plans to accommodate more than 100 users.

    Encryption

    Encryption has a vital role in video conferencing apps. Zoom had to face backlash from users due to concerns regarding privacy and security. But Reliance Jio has claimed that all meetings hosted through JioMeet app are encrypted. Yet the company has not provided any further details of its End-to-End (E2E) encryption. To ensure the more security and privacy, Zoom has started offering E2E encryption to both its paid as well as free users.

    Everything you need to know about JioMeet
    Jio has finally launched its video conferencing app JioMeet to take on the likesof rivals Zoom and Googlemeet. Jiomeet is available across all platformsAndroid, iOS, Windows, mac OS and web. The video conferencing app supports callconferencing up to 100 people and meeting can go up to 24 hours. A…
    StartupTalkyArbaaz sayed

    Meanwhile, Jio said that it is looking at the opportunity from a different perspective to offer consumers with a range of use-cases taking security and simplicity into account. So, we can expect that Jio Meet will go live within next one or two weeks.

  • Amazon And BigBasket Approved For Home Delivery Of Liquor In West Bengal

    The lockdown due to the Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19) affected the Indian economy in a bad way. The Indian economy came to a standstill ever since the lockdown has been imposed. Most of the industries except those which manufacture essential day-to-day products such as food products, medicines, etc. were allowed to operate. All the other businesses, shops, and factories of non-essential products and services were put to a complete stop to contain the spread of Coronavirus. The alcohol sector of India was one of the many that very badly affected. While the alcohol and liquor stores all around the country have started opening, it is still a great risk to stand in long queues for buying alcoholic drinks. However, now the people of West Bengal will be able to buy alcohol online through online stores Amazon and BigBasket.

    According to reports, The West Bengal State Beverages Corp., which manages the sale and distribution of alcohol in the state, has authorized Amazon and BigBasket for sale of alcoholic drinks on their online portals. The online stores can now deliver Beer, Wine, Spirits, and other alcoholic drinks in the state of West Bengal. The stores have been permitted for the sales of alcoholic drinks. The notice stated that both of these stores are eligible to register with the government authorities and to start the sales and home delivery of liquor when they like. However, no announcement or statement has been given by either of these companies regarding the same.

    Also Read: Steps Taken by Online Food Delivery Startups amid CoronaVirus Outbreak

    Apart from this, online food delivery applications such as Swiggy and Zomato have continued the delivery of alcohols, beer, and wines since last month when the alcohol shops were allowed to reopen and restrictions on the ban of alcoholic drinks were lifted by the government after about 45 days from the start of lockdown.

    Also Read: Online Alcohol Delivery in India: Did Zomato and Swiggy get the approval to Deliver Alcohol?

    As of now, these privileges have been granted to the 2 online stores only in the state of West Bengal. Will all the other state governments will permit these stores for the online shopping of liquor is a big question. This is because all the states have different regulations and policies regarding the sales and trade of liquor.

    Will this step help the Indian Economy?

    The alcohol sector of India has a large contribution to its economy. All of the Indian states, combined together, earned about ₹ 2.25 lakh crore from taxes on alcohol in the last financial year. This means that many of the states of India derived more than 15% of their tax revenues through the sale of alcohol and liquor. This means that the states of India combined together earned more than ₹ 600 crores per day through taxes on liquor, which in turn means that the Indian economy suffered a loss of more than ₹ 600 crores per day since the sales of liquor and alcoholic drinks were put to a stop.  So, this step will definitely be a slight help to the Indian economy. And if all other states permit the online sale and home delivery of alcohol and liquor too, it will give a huge boost to the economy of India.

    Amazon Gets Permission For Delivery Of Alcohol In West Bengal

    This step will also ensure the safety of people who consume alcohol, who stood in long queues outside liquor shops when the sale of liquor started again the previous month. People standing in queues outside liquor shops often ignore social distancing, and few of them even do not bother to wear masks for their safety. Thus, the no contact home delivery service for wines, beers, spirits, and alcohol will ensure the safety and good health of the customers and stop the people from putting themselves along with the others at risk by standing in long queues outside the shops to buy liquor.

  • How India is Boycotting Chinese products

    In this time of pandemic, China is pushing borders against India and other neighboring countries.China has a powerful and bigger weapon and that is Economy and that is why China is getting political. China is using its economy to dominate our neighbouring countries and thus it is becoming a superpower.

    It is the worst time for India to go on a war as our economy is down and this war
    couldn’t be won by money as China has its allies around us. It is helping our neighbouring countries in infrastructure and other projects but if no one uses them, it becomes difficult for these countries to pay back China. China also overstates his own bills and there comes China again and asks to handle the operations and takes control over these infrastructures so that it can use these bases as military base in times of war and be prepared. In case, the war is held, it will be from all the sides as we are surrounded by China’s allies. China has a military base in Africa and it is using it to threaten U.S. However, India is taking serious precautions to make China realise that it will impact their economy as well.

    Although this is not for the first time as the supporting stand of China towards
    Pakistan pot URI attack also led to a campaign to boycott Chinese products in India. However, this time, many social media influencers are coming up with several reasons to boycott Chinese products to spread awareness among Indian citizens. I would like to share some YouTube links which are helpful to understand the agenda of China for using Economy as a weapon against India:-
    SonamWangchuk

    Baba Ramdev

    These videos will also help in understanding the reasons to boycott Chinese products. There are many alternatives available for the Chinese apps and if we start using these alternative apps instead of the Chinese apps, it will affect the economy of China. As India is the biggest importer of Chinese goods and trade deficit of India with China is one of the biggest between two trading partners.
    A boycott is only possible if we start using alternatives from other countries or we become self-reliance as our honorable Prime minister wanted to say and import substitution can be done. If we will be able to boycott Chinese products completely then China will be in a situation where he will need to think twice before waging a war against any neighbouring countries. Our country now needs to manufacture products which are ‘Made in India’ but are ‘Made for the world’.

    Here are some examples, how Indians are totally depend on Chinese apps and using them continuously and on daily basis and these apps are the reason behind the growth of Chinese Economy:

    Apps that are Invested by China

    • Paytm
    • Byjus
    • Ola
    • Oyo
    • Swiggy
    • Zomato
    • Big basket

    Also Read: List of Popular Chinese Apps in India

    Chinese Mobile Apps in India

    • Tik-tok
    • UC browser
    • Pubg
    • Xender
    • Cam Scanner
    • Like

    Chinese Phone Companies

    • Xiaomi
    • OnePlus
    • Gionee
    • Oppo
    • Vivo
    • Huawei

    Essentials exported from China

    • Medicine ingredients
    • Solar products,
    • Semiconductors
    • Fertilizers
    • Machines

    According to facts provided by some news and personals, China is using the data from the Chinese invested apps and Chinese apps to gain information and also some information have been hacked by China through these apps as well.Recently a person from Vadodara Twitter account was hacked and the access point were seen as China. He stated that his account was synced with Pubg mobile and that might be the reason of hacking. China is a stakeholder in the company Tencent which has developed Pubg. Now this becomes more important to boycott these Chinese apps, to protect your data and information and also in order to support India so that China’s biggest weapon can be used against
    them.  

    Also Read: 10 Surprising Insights Of Chinese Apps And Their Alternatives

    NO MORE CHINA PRODUCTS:   POSSIBLE BOWL FOR INDIA ?  

    India is also trying their best to deal with China and make them taste their own medicine. They have reviewed the FDI so that Indian can’t Chinese puppet like our neighbouring countries. We are late but we are not in China’s trap and we have learnt the truth about China’s economy.

    Vocal For Local campaign

    Prime Minister Modi in his address to the nation on May 12, 2020 launched a ‘VOCAL  FOR LOCAL‘ campaign.  He urged the citizens of India to buy and promote local goods and brands.  The Prime Minister further said that global brands were once local but when people started supporting them they went global.

    It is known that India and China are the two fastest growing economies in the world and India is the largest importer of Chinese goods and services in the world.

    The trade deficit between India and China is the largest among the major trading partners.  It is interesting to note that India imports about seven times more from China than it exports.  India imports more than $ 50 billion worth of goods from China and exports $ 2.5 billion worth of goods to China.

    It is a known fact that Chinese products are very cheap compared to their Indian counterparts.  In addition, the Chinese government also provides subsidies to its exporters.  India spends around 9% on transportation, energy etc., but this cost is nil by the import duty imposed on China by India.  To avoid import duties, many Chinese companies use trans-shipment routes — sending goods to Bhutan and then India.

    Globalization has spread its roots so deep in our lives and the supply chain is so interconnected, the productions process is so complex that it is difficult to isolate one country and boycott it’s goods completely but as Mr. Sonam Wangchuk mentioned, systematic and phased boycott is possible. We can starts from stop using the Chinese software in a week and hardware in a year. We need to constantly make efforts to ease the business environment in India and bring out labour reforms and look for less expensive alternatives which will take time but it is the time to make some uncommon decisions that will impact our lives and will help Indian Economy and will impact Chinese Economy as well.

    The Confederation of All-India Traders (CAIT)

    CAIT

    A traders’ organization, on Sunday expressed solidarity with the Ladakh-based educational reformer and visionary Sonam Wangchuk’s appeal to boycott Chinese goods.
    Tension between India and China, the man who inspired Bollywood blockbuster “3 Idiots”, has appealed and asked Indians to boycott all Chinese companies.
    In a tweet, the engineer-turned-education reformer asked people to boycott all Chinese products in Ladakh to stop Beijing’s “bullying” and to free 1.4 billion bonded labourers in the country.

    CAIT, which claims to represent seven crore merchants, said it had identified around 3,000 categories of heavily imported Chinese products “which should be immediately replaced by Indian products as good quality for such products Indian replacements are available “

    CAN INDIA REALLY BOYCOTT CHINESE PRODUCTS

    • India imports many raw materials as well as finished products like steel, minerals etc. from China.  When it comes to boycott imports from China, this can only be done in the case of finished goods but the import of raw materials from China cannot be stopped.
    • India also imports consumer durable like electrical appliances, mobile phones, cars etc.  Medicinal drugs like leprosy, antibiotics etc. from China.  In addition, the Chinese smartphone market accounts for $ 8 billion of India’s smartphone market (Lenovo, Oppo, Vivo, etc.).  If India planned to boycott Chinese products, India’s GDP would fall drastically.
    • After the launch of ‘Make in India‘ campaign by Prime Minister Modi, many Chinese companies have set up their units in India, employing hundreds of thousands of workers in India.  If India boycott Chinese products, these companies may face pressure from Chinese authorities to stop their production in India, leaving hundreds of workers unemployed.

    As mentioned above, India imports about seven times more from China than its exports.  If India plans to boycott Chinese products than find an alternative that can match the cost and availability is almost impossible.  Thus, India’s GDP can be contracted.

    5- It is interesting to note that almost every product we use has a little bit of China.  Smartphones, laptops, air conditioners, etc. which we use in our daily life, some parts are manufactured in China.

    We must understand that the present process of manufacturing is interlinked.  For example, a phone is made with the help of Chinese laborers and land, investment from a different country says that the US has made an innovation from Japan and can end the Made in India apps.  Every product has the same process when it comes to labor, investment, innovation, etc.  Thus, it can be concluded that each nation cannot be separated nor its good can be boycotted.

    Many countries in the world started boycotting products from various countries, but were unsuccessful due to the complex manufacturing process.  Some of them are listed below:

    1- In 1930, China tried to boycott all Japanese products to protest against the Japanese colony, but failed.

    2- In 2003, the US attempted to boycott French goods after 9/11 in protest of France’s refusal to send troops to Iraq but then failed.

    SO IS THERE ANY ALTERNATIVE?

    Sonam Wangchuk

    Recently, Sonam Wangchuk answered several questions on the boycott of Chinese products.  He said that the customer is king.  This means that consumers should stop using Chinese products.  He chanted a boycott of China’s software in a week, hardware in a year, finished and non-essential products in a year, and systemic boycott of essential products, raw materials, etc. in the coming years.

    We can also implement the import-substitution method in India to boycott Chinese products.  This means that the products we import from China can be manufactured in India, but in the short term this is impossible.

    The Indian government should reduce the rates at which loans are issued to Indian companies like China.  In addition, the government should provide infrastructure, services, etc. to prepare Indian companies to compete with China.  India may boycott Made in China products but in a systematic and planned manner as stated by Sonam Wangchuk.