CNN has officially launched the news network CNNVR with Journalism unit and Virtual reality platform. CNN has made this big push by adding 360 videos to its Android, iOS apps and website.

CNN Officially Launches CNNVR–A New Immersive Journalism Unit and Virtual Reality Platform

Over the past few months, CNN has been experimenting with 360 videos by primarily publishing video as on Facebook 360. According to Farkas, the CNN’s 360 videos have reached more than one million views.

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The CNN network has been training correspondents from different countries like New York, Atlanta, London, Hong Kong, San Francisco, Dubai, Johannesburg, Tokyo, and Beijing to produce its reports.

CNN has published a new 360 video story about the running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain on Tuesday. In the upcoming days, the network is going to take its viewers into an operating room to see the separation of conjoined twins, as well as onto a glacier.

“We are trying to give you access to places that are incredibly rare,”Farkas said.

CNN recently also launched a VR app on Google’s Daydream headset. The CNNVR unit also has plans to experiment with augmented reality and also to increase stream events live in 360.

The field of Virtual Reality is going through many exciting innovations and changes. Although it is yet to be a household technology, it has already made inroads into the mainstream and commercial. That it is indeed the next wave that will influence our daily lives is vouched by the fact that Facebook bought Oculus VR in a US$2 billion deal. Virtual Reality apps is also changing how businesses operate and following are the ways it is poised to influence small businesses:

VR will change the way brands interact with customers

Virtual reality is exciting to customers because it engages more of their senses, captures their mind and triggers emotions that can never be aroused by inanimate 2D visuals. In short ,it is the dream tool of any marketer.

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Are Mobile Apps a Necessity Rather than a Luxury for SMEs?

Brands like Marriott and JC Penny have already given their guests and customers the thrill of a virtual tour of far off destinations. The important point to be noted here is that not all of these VR campaigns were driven by sales as the end. Rather, these businesses saw VR as an opportunity to engage with the customers and change the way their customers look and them. They wanted to send a message to their customers that says. “we work with cutting edge technologies to give you a unique experience”

There is a lot of scope for small businesses and entrepreneurs to connect with customers in innovative ways with VR. Imagine a food startup which shares preparation of your meal in a virtual reality. Isn’t it an appetizing and connected way to order a meal?

Cost Savings due to Virtual Reality Apps

Although Internet has negated geographical boundaries as a serious barrier for businesses, virtual reality apps will do their bit in getting us tangibly closer. Virtual reality can save a lot of time and money in travelling to places. It is already being used in realty and tourism sector. Being able to look for a new office space without stepping out of your office can save a lot of time and effort.

As technology advances, entrepreneurs can interact with all the stakeholders like vendors, investors and customers in a more personal way and saving cost all the while. Recruiting activity will benefit greatly as virtual reality will allow reading body cues and expressions of candidates from across the globe.

Quicker Product Development for Start Ups

A lot of cost can be saved in product development and testing, thanks to virtual reality. There is no need to build a costly prototype of your product for testing. Just introduce your customers to one in a virtual reality and make quick changes (or even real time in some cases!). Check out research work done by consumer Research Company Haystack using VR tools with their target audience.

Lesser cost in Brick and Mortar

Virtual reality will also mean that most of the businesses can display their products and services in a virtual world. This will drastically cut down on the need to have a retail space and maintain inventory costs associated with the brick and mortar model.

Advantage to New Age Start ups

Companies that are starting up with VR in their DNA will have great advantages over a bigger competitor who does not have VR integrated into their business because they did not see it coming, a couple of years ago. For example: imagine an shopping apps that does not have a virtual reality experience versus a newer one that is giving their customers an option to see how a dress fits and looks on them. The costs of starting everything from the scratch for the older app are big and so are the first mover’s advantage to a newer app offering virtual reality experience.

With increase in smartphone usage in the last few years, people seem to rely on mobile apps for anything from placing queries to purchasing things. However, most SMEs think of adding mobile app development as an extension to their business as a luxury, not realising the opportunities they offer.

Here are few reasons why a mobile app is a “must have” for SMEs:

Connect with your customers

SMEs are always in search of a way to develop their business and the best way to do that is through customer engagement. Increased customer engagement means growth in orders and sales. It is the digital era and most of your customers may be online. Therefore, through a mobile application, you can inform your customers about your latest business offerings. You can also combine your marketing and social marketing strategies to stay connected with your customers through mobile app development.

Improve brand recognition

A mobile app development is the best way to build brand awareness and recognition. A well- developed mobile app devoid of bugs and other defects and loaded with engaging features will surely catch the attention of customers leading to increased brand recognition.

Helps you to adapt to new trends

Mobile app builders are coming up with new trends almost every day. Therefore, if you don’t keep yourselves updated about the new app trends, you may lose customers. This in turn compels you to adapt to the new trends and build an outstanding app with the best features to attract customer’s attention.

Turn first time users to regular customers

With a mobile app it is easy to provide better customer service. If the people using your app are happy with your service, they will surely turn into your regular customers. Also, there are chances of good word-of-mouth referrals attracting more customers to your business.

Focused marketing

With mobile apps, it is easy to market and communicate to the particular group of people your business aims at. With new products, services, features and privileges available at their fingertips, customer engagement will definitely increase.

Generate new leads

A well designed mobile app can be used as a tool to develop your business and generate new leads. The aesthetically pleasing, defect-free and engaging app with offers and promotions can attract new prospective customers.

As a SME business owner, you may not have a mobile app builder in your team. If you do not plan to hire any in the near future, you can just connect with an app development company or a mobile app development agency to help you build a mobile app for your business.

Narendra Modi’s Government is all set to develop a centralized mobile app, touted as “The mother of all apps”, for the public to avail over 200 multiple services of the Local, State, and Central Governments from a single platform. From applying for passports to filing of income tax, from booking railway tickets to surveying land records, UMANG (Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance) is the “one app to do it all”, the “one app to find them”.

UMANG is developed by the Union Ministry of Communications and Information Technology’s National E-governance Division (NeGD). The project will be available in 13 different languages.

“Everyone is carrying a Smartphone and using the internet on mobile. So we want to provide services wherever the citizens are,” an NeGD official told the media.

The app is promising and will carry Modi’s Digital India dream to further heights. It is expected to make the long lines in front of various Government offices, a memory. The same services are available via SMS and a toll-free number that people without Smartphones can make use of.

“UMANG platform and mobile app, in addition to the services on-boarded through the platform, shall have functionalities to integrate with mobile applications developed by various government departments separately. This is one of the big challenges,” the official added.

The app will start with about 50 services, and will reach a total of 200 services by its 3rd year of deployment. A detailed proposal document hints to the possibility of including several third party services as well.

A short list of UMANG services are as the following:

1. National Scholarship
2. Women’s Safety (Nirbhaya)
3. Healthcare Applications
4. Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS)
5. Passport Seva
6. Income Tax – ITR, PAN
7. CBSE/State Education Boards
8. E-Municipality
9. IRCTC
10. Utility Bills

NEW DELHI: A mobile app “CPGRAMS” was introduced for the people to register governance-related grievances by Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Jitendra Singh.

“A Quick Response (QR) code has been provided on the portal which can be scanned on to the smart phone after which the grievance can be sent from the phone directly on to CPGRAMS”, Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Jitendra Singh said.

The app will be helpful for the people as almost everyone use mobile app as mobile phones are the easiest way of communication now-a-days.

“This is another step towards translating Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘ART of Governance’ as spelt out by him, with A for Accountability, R – Responsibility and T- Transparency, forming the bedrock of the government,” the minister said.

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Through CPGRAMS, people are getting a platform for the redressal of their grievances.

Singh said the goal is that the administration should be citizen-centric, transparent and responsive. “More than six lakh public grievances have been settled since the NDA government assumed office,” he said.

“DARPG is also carrying out analysis of the grievances and a systematic response is being worked out on how best to address the grievances”, he said.

With this app, people can also track the grievance status.