Creating an EPIC!
Brainchild behind India's first web browser EPIC, Hidden Reflex has within months created a uproar in the world wide web.
If Karl Marx was to appear in Cyber era, his saying would have gone like this Workers of the Cyber World Unite! You have nothing to lose but the world wide web. The importance of Internet has grown manifold over the years with several new actions happening. Dataquest recently did a story on how Microsoft's Internet Explorer (IE) is losing its market share to Google Chrome, Apple Safari, and Mozilla Firefox. Now the competition gets more tougher with several new browsers making their appearance that too with really interesting add-ons. Start up companies are doing several activities in the mobile content and the Internet space, and STPI has encouraged small and start-up companies to use their infrastructure to build new and innovative applications. For example, Tachyon Technologies introduced their transliteration tool, Quillpad for mobile applications. Similarly there are several other start ups who have introduced new concepts with their only focus to increase Internet penetration in India.
Just a month old, and India's first web browser, EPIC is creating ripples in the world wide web. The browser (www.epicbrowser.com) has been created by a team of six Indian engineers and is built on open source Mozilla platform. Headed by Founder and CEO, Alok Bhardwaj, Hidden Reflex has already seen a total 4.5 lakh downloads (and still counting).
However all said and done Internet penetration is still low in India. And why would India need its own web browser? Comments Bhardwaj of Hidden Reflex, Through EPIC we foresee some major changes in the Internet usage in India considering that Internet penetration is still low. This is one of the reasons why we have introduced adds ons such as Google's transliteration tool Indic where users have the option to communicate in 12 different regional languages. This is just the beginning and we see a heavy traction in terms of downloads happening from the Tier I and II cities. Our main aim for coming up with a new web browser in India was primarily due to the fact that a lot of vulnerabilities still exist in web browsers such as security issues, privacy and speed. What we intend to give to the users through EPIC is multi-tasking and productivity aligned to factors such as security and privacy.
An interesting feature of the web browser is an in-built anti-virus. Which means if any file is being downloaded the browser automatically does a virus scan of the file. This would save users on cost as they won't have to buy an anti-virus and can perform regular virus scan for free. The browser also has a suite of sidebar applications to improve multi-tasking and productivity. Pre-installed applications include communication applications for Facebook, Orkut, and Gmail; entertainment applications such as a Picture-in-Picture Video Sidebar and Games, and utilities like File Backup, My Computer, a To-Do list, and Maps. Over 1500 user-installable applications are also available to the end user for free.
However Bhardwaj also points out some loopholes as was received as feedback by the users. He points out that most Yahoo users have complaining about the secured login (http:// rather than https://) which might affect their privacy. However Bhardwaj argues that Yahoo needs to take a serious step to rectify this.
The company also partnered with Google's Indic for a built-in transliteration tool in their browser. With this the company aims to reach to the multi -lingual community in India. With a drop down menu with 12 regional languages included, the user can select the preferred language for communication and all Roman characters are converted into one of the 12 languages.
Security is still the biggest challenge and the topmost concern for web browsers. This might be one of the reasons why IE lost a significant market share in the recent past due to several security threats, while its competitors such as Safari and Chrome added security features in its browsers. As per a recent report, India is the topmost destination for malware or other online malicious activities. In this regard, Hidden Reflex partnered with security giants ESET for anti-virus solutions and Web of Trust, a free surfing tool for browsers that has a database of 13 mn websites and keeps a tracks of malicious websites and filters the content.
Mobile connections in India are doubling every month in India. We are now seeing GPRS handsets that costs a minimal Rs. 2000 with several applications and adds on such as social networking, games etc. This is one key area which we will be looking forward in few months from now, says Bhardwaj who is optimistic that web browsers in mobile apps is the next big revolution in India. The next wave, Mozilla 4.0 in India would make it more convenient for the company to experiment in the mobile space as well.
Global trends have suggested that small business and start ups are the biggest contributors to the economy of any country. We particularly see this trend in India too. The Government of India has undertaken several reforms to attract more investors to the small business sector in India. Some of the reforms undertaken include provision of training facilities, availability of machinery on hire-purchase terms, special bonus for setting up small business in backwards areas, tax deduction for small business and assistance for marketing the products in domestic markets and exports. The growing business trend in India indicates that start ups and small business sector in India are poised for growth. Investors in this sector must ensure that they make use of all the resources available to reap the benefits.
If Karl Marx was to appear in Cyber era, his saying would have gone like this Workers of the Cyber World Unite! You have nothing to lose but the world wide web. The importance of Internet has grown manifold over the years with several new actions happening. Dataquest recently did a story on how Microsoft's Internet Explorer (IE) is losing its market share to Google Chrome, Apple Safari, and Mozilla Firefox. Now the competition gets more tougher with several new browsers making their appearance that too with really interesting add-ons. Start up companies are doing several activities in the mobile content and the Internet space, and STPI has encouraged small and start-up companies to use their infrastructure to build new and innovative applications. For example, Tachyon Technologies introduced their transliteration tool, Quillpad for mobile applications. Similarly there are several other start ups who have introduced new concepts with their only focus to increase Internet penetration in India.
Just a month old, and India's first web browser, EPIC is creating ripples in the world wide web. The browser (www.epicbrowser.com) has been created by a team of six Indian engineers and is built on open source Mozilla platform. Headed by Founder and CEO, Alok Bhardwaj, Hidden Reflex has already seen a total 4.5 lakh downloads (and still counting).
However all said and done Internet penetration is still low in India. And why would India need its own web browser? Comments Bhardwaj of Hidden Reflex, Through EPIC we foresee some major changes in the Internet usage in India considering that Internet penetration is still low. This is one of the reasons why we have introduced adds ons such as Google's transliteration tool Indic where users have the option to communicate in 12 different regional languages. This is just the beginning and we see a heavy traction in terms of downloads happening from the Tier I and II cities. Our main aim for coming up with a new web browser in India was primarily due to the fact that a lot of vulnerabilities still exist in web browsers such as security issues, privacy and speed. What we intend to give to the users through EPIC is multi-tasking and productivity aligned to factors such as security and privacy.
An interesting feature of the web browser is an in-built anti-virus. Which means if any file is being downloaded the browser automatically does a virus scan of the file. This would save users on cost as they won't have to buy an anti-virus and can perform regular virus scan for free. The browser also has a suite of sidebar applications to improve multi-tasking and productivity. Pre-installed applications include communication applications for Facebook, Orkut, and Gmail; entertainment applications such as a Picture-in-Picture Video Sidebar and Games, and utilities like File Backup, My Computer, a To-Do list, and Maps. Over 1500 user-installable applications are also available to the end user for free.
However Bhardwaj also points out some loopholes as was received as feedback by the users. He points out that most Yahoo users have complaining about the secured login (http:// rather than https://) which might affect their privacy. However Bhardwaj argues that Yahoo needs to take a serious step to rectify this.
The company also partnered with Google's Indic for a built-in transliteration tool in their browser. With this the company aims to reach to the multi -lingual community in India. With a drop down menu with 12 regional languages included, the user can select the preferred language for communication and all Roman characters are converted into one of the 12 languages.
Security is still the biggest challenge and the topmost concern for web browsers. This might be one of the reasons why IE lost a significant market share in the recent past due to several security threats, while its competitors such as Safari and Chrome added security features in its browsers. As per a recent report, India is the topmost destination for malware or other online malicious activities. In this regard, Hidden Reflex partnered with security giants ESET for anti-virus solutions and Web of Trust, a free surfing tool for browsers that has a database of 13 mn websites and keeps a tracks of malicious websites and filters the content.
Mobile connections in India are doubling every month in India. We are now seeing GPRS handsets that costs a minimal Rs. 2000 with several applications and adds on such as social networking, games etc. This is one key area which we will be looking forward in few months from now, says Bhardwaj who is optimistic that web browsers in mobile apps is the next big revolution in India. The next wave, Mozilla 4.0 in India would make it more convenient for the company to experiment in the mobile space as well.
Global trends have suggested that small business and start ups are the biggest contributors to the economy of any country. We particularly see this trend in India too. The Government of India has undertaken several reforms to attract more investors to the small business sector in India. Some of the reforms undertaken include provision of training facilities, availability of machinery on hire-purchase terms, special bonus for setting up small business in backwards areas, tax deduction for small business and assistance for marketing the products in domestic markets and exports. The growing business trend in India indicates that start ups and small business sector in India are poised for growth. Investors in this sector must ensure that they make use of all the resources available to reap the benefits.
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