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Annasha Dey is an NIT student, who apart from studying engineering is also a content writer. She has a great interest in photography, writing, reading novels, and travelling as well. She is a foodie who loves socializing and hanging out with her friends. She is also a trained Kathak dancer and a big fashion enthusiast. Dey also loves watching TV series, which includes F.R.I.E.N.D.S. and Big Bang Theory. To be a better writer she prefers to read more

Total System Services

Total System Services – A Leading Provider of Payment Processing Solutions Since 1983.

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Born in 1983, Total System Services (TSYS) primarily provides payment processing services to financial companies and retailers across the globe. TSYS is the provider of secure and innovative payment solutions to clients spread over 80 different countries. The company has around 200 active clients and the company strives to unleash every related payment possibility for them and their business. TSYS is headquartered in Columbus, Georgia, and operates with approximately 12,800 employees. The parent company of TSYS is Global Payments which is a relatively young company. TSYS is running under the leadership of M. Troy Woods since 2014.

The Founding Story of Total System Services

The story of every successful company begins with finding a solution to a problem faced in daily life. If a person is vigilant enough to understand the pain points of commoners, one will get multiple business ideas to eradicate these problems. Something similar happened almost 133 years ago that led to the foundation of TSYS. One of the biggest foundational strengths of TSYS is that it always puts the needs of people first and finds various ways to solve their problems.

Total System Services
Image source: www.tsys.com

The history of TSYS traces back to the events of 1888 when a manager of a textile mill saw that his employees didn’t have a safe place to save their money. This got him thinking about how he could solve the problem for one of his employees and ended up building her a bank which became a striking trailblazer. This was a very innovative solution and in 1959 this bank operated as a part of Columbus Bank and Trust. In 1974, it started processing one of Georgia’s first credit cards for other banks. The company eventually emerged as Total System Services Inc in 1983 and became a public company.

Partnerships and Acquisitions

In 1983, after TSYS became a publicly-traded company it started making many acquisitions and expanding its presence. The company after filing its first IPO still operated under Columbus Bank and Trust (now known as Synovus) and was finally spun off in 2007. In the meantime, TSYS acquired a company called Clarity Payment Solutions in 2004 for $53 million. TSYS also signed a partnership with Visa Inc which was back in 1995 to merge its merchant processing services with those of Visa. In 2004, TSYS also started processing credit cards issued by JPMC, another well-known American investment bank.

In the last ten years, the company made a handful of acquisitions starting from acquiring a 51 percent stake in the merchant acquisition business of First National Bank of Omaha. After the acquisition, the business was renamed TSYS Merchant Solutions and the company acquired the rest 49 percent in 2011. The company acquired another business called TermNet in 2011. In 2012, the company entered into a joint partnership with Central Payment Co. LLC. In the same year, the company also acquired ProPay, a Utah-based company. TSYS made a big acquisition in July 2013 as it acquired Netspend for $1.4 billion. Some of the other companies that TSYS acquired in recent years are TransFit, Cayan, and iMobile3. In 2019, TSYS came under the acquisition of Global Payments, an American company providing financial technology services.

About Global Payments

Born in 2000, Global Payments is a leading financial service provider based in Atlanta. Jefferey. Sloan is the CEO of the company and M. Troy Woods (CEO of TSYS) is the Chairman of the Boards. The stock of Global Payments is a component of the S & P 500 stock market index as is publicly traded in the NYSE as GPN. Global Payments is also a Fortune 1000 company and its biggest market is in North America followed by Europe and Asia-Pacific. Global Payments have made plenty of acquisitions since 2000 but the merger with TSYS is the biggest acquisition in its history till now. In May 2019, Global Payments announced the merger with TSYS for $21.5 billion.

M. Troy Woods – CEO of Total System Services

M. Troy Woods is the CEO and President of TSYS who has significantly contributed to the company’s diversification strategies. Woods completed his undergraduate degree from Columbus State University and he also went to several banking schools including The Wharton School. Woods was a part of the Columbus Bank and Trust from 1970 to 1977 and again rejoined TSYS in 1987. Under the leadership of Woods, TSYS has become more of a people-centric company with a belief that payment should revolve around people and not the other way around.

SMIC

SMIC – The Largest Semiconductor Foundry Company in Mainland China.

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SMIC is famous as a leading semiconductor foundry company across the globe for its advanced technology and comprehensive semiconductor manufacturing services. SMIC was born in 2000 in the Cayman Islands and is currently headquartered at Shanghai, China. Richard Chang Ru-gin is the founder of the company and Haijun Zhao is the latest CEO. SMIC Group primarily focuses on providing integrated circuit (IC) foundry and technology services related to it on a specific range of process nodes (350 nm to 14 nm). SMIC is well known in international markets including Europe, Japan, Taiwan, and the US.

Founding History of SMIC

SMIC was founded out of strong desires of Richard Chang to invest in the Chinese market as he believed that a booming economy will reestablish harmony in the nation. Twenty years ago, the semiconductor industry in mainland China wasn’t superior in the market and didn’t have any international standards. Before Richard established SMIC, his main target was to make mainland China a superpower which advanced tech in manufacturing semiconductors so that it can match up to the nations who are leading in it.

SMIC
Image source: www.mobileworldlive.com

Richard had big plans for his nation and this zeal drove him to finally establish SMIC in 2001 at Shanghai’s High-tech Zhangjiang Park located in Pudong New Area. SMIC became the first successful leading company from mainland China in the semiconductor industry to expand its market even in international grounds. And with the contributions made by Richard Chang he is known as the “father of the Chinese semiconductors.”

Uncertain Times

Initially, when company was established it became a limited liability company in the Cayman Islands. SMIC operated in a way that it was not responsible for the capital costs and the municipal government took care of it. When the company was eventually growing in the Chinese market, the Taiwanese were threatened by a potential emerging semiconductor superpower. They tried in several unethical ways to bring down the reputation of both SMIC and Richard Chang.

Only two years after founding the company, TSMC (world’s largest semiconductor foundry) filed a lawsuit against SMIC accusing it of obtaining TSMC’s trade secret and other infringement. But, Richard on the other hand worshipped the Chinese semiconductor sector and no matter what he wasn’t ready to give up. Chang’s determination is one of the reasons why China can compete with big nations like the US in the semiconductor market.

Growth and Expansion of SMIC

SMIC started making significant progress from the last decade starting with embarking on a joint venture in 2013. Next year, SilTech Shanghai, a wholly owned subsidiary of SMIC along with JCET, and China IC Fund signed a co-investment agreement for forming a consortium. This was formed for the proposed acquisition of a very valuable acquisition of STATS ChipPAC, a Singapore-based company. In 2015, SMIC entered into another joint venture with Huawei, Qualcomm, and IMEC International to form SMIC Advanced Technology Research & Development Corporation. SMIC built a very advanced R&D facility which aimed at designing China’s most advanced integrated circuit (IC). The partnership of company with other three companies mainly focused on developing 14 nm logic technology.

In 2016, company acquired 70% of the corporate capital of LFoundry S.r.l. €49 million. SMIC throughout the following years have focussed on establishing and maintaining strong relationships with other semiconductor corporations especially the ones based in China. The very idea behind founding SMIC was to strengthen China wholly as a superior semiconductor entity and it will continue if the companies remain united. In 2018, SMIC was investing 16 percent of sales in R&D and the company started building China’s first ever plant which aimed to use 14 nm production technology. Last year, China National Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund and the Shanghai Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund made an investment of $2 billion in the company as a part of the Made in China 2025 Program.

About Richard Chang Ru-gin

Richard Chang is a famous person who is single handedly responsible for uplifting the semiconductor industry in China. At a very young age, Richard moved from Shanghai to Taiwan and later went to the US and acquired his PhD in electrical engineering from Texas. In 1977, Richard joined Texas Instruments ton emrak on his chipmaker career and was involved in the operations of the company in several nations. After entering the chip industry, his one and only goal was to make China catch up with the rest of the world in terms of cutting edge tech. So, in 1997 he came back to Taiwan and a few years later he established SMIC and created an empire for mainland China to embrace forever.

Pegatron Corporation

Pegatron Corporation – A Taiwanese-Based Electronics Manufacturing Company Generating Revenue in Trillions.

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Pegatron is one of the leading Taiwanese companies in the sector of electronics manufacturing selling a wide range of products. The market of Pegatron is spread worldwide and currently its headquarters is based in Beitou District, Taipei, Taiwan. Pegatron Corporation was established fourteen years ago as a spin-off entity of AsusTek Computer Inc and today it has emerged as a very successful company. The company is under the leadership of T.H. Tung who is the Chairman of Pegatron.

Pegatron’s main products include notebooks, desktop computers, game consoles, netbook computers, motherboards, LCD TVs, etc. The company is also involved in the manufacturing of broadband communication products such as cable modems, set-top boxes, smartphones, etc. In recent years, the company has also started manufacturing smart home devices and wearable smart products as it is important for the companies to evolve with time and technology. Pegatron also invests significantly in research and development to offer high-end products to its customers.

History of Pegatron Corporation

Pegatron Corporation started off as an individual entity from 27th June 2007. This incident took place as AsusTek decided to go through a major restructuring of the company and was splitted into three individual corporations. The three corporations are namely, Asus, Pegatron Corporation, and Unihan Corporation. Among these three companies, Pegatron in particular focussed on oEM manufacturing of motherboards and components. But with time the goal and structure of Pegatron evolved as well. While the restructuring of operations started back in 2007, Asus finally spun off Pegatron on 1st June 2010. Since then Pegatron has strived to build its unique identity and a strong team.

Pegatron Corporation
Image source: behance.net

Apart from Taiwan, Pegatron has expanded its business to other nations as well including China, Czech Republic, Mexico, Japan, and the United States. The company started expanding very fast and thus more employees were hired. In 2010, the company was operating with approximately 97,000 employees which after ten years has turned to 172,000. After AsusTek split the parent company into three independent companies in 2007, the next year was followed by the acquisition of Unihan Corporation by Pegatron. Today, Unihan Corporation operates as the subsidiary of Pegatron and its acquisition helped the company to expand its product base.

Products and Services

Pegatron is the manufacturing of a wide variety of products ranging from personal computing to car electronics. In computer products, Pegatron is a manufacturer of personal computing, rugged computers, and servers. Rugged computers are mainly designed for its usage in extreme environmental conditions like protection from water, UV radiations, etc. Servers on the other hand are focused on building products for enterprise storage systems which includes high performance motherboards and RAID cards. As a part of products for consumer electronics, Pegatron manufactures tablets and game consoles. Pegatron also manufactures a wide range of communication products which includes smartphones, cable modems, Set-top box, and network switch. Pegatron offers the network equipment solutions especially for the large enterprises and datacenters such that it reduces the complexity and difficulty and improves efficiency of the network.

As mentioned earlier, Pegatron is actively participating in the area of car electronics and so far built Pegatron’s car entertainment system, vehicle telematics system, and advanced driver assistance system. Many companies are currently involved in manufacturing smart wearables that help in tracking health management functions. Pegatron is also investing to manufacture smart wearable technology carrying out multiple features including health monitoring. Some of the other smart electronics manufactured by Pegatron are IoT products, drones, robots, and virtual reality (VR). Apart from these electronics products, Pegatron also offers quality services for both hardware and software technologies across the world.

The Parent Company – AsusTek

AsusTek Computer Inc is one of the most admired computer brands across the globe. The company has created a strong brand presence both in its country and the international market. Founded in 1989, AsusTek is a Taiwanese company pioneering in the computer hardware and electronics industry. According to the statistics, Asus stands in the 5th position in terms of world’s largest PC vendors by unit sales in 2021. Asus is also in the list of Asia’s Top 10 IT companies. Asus is famous for its wide range of smartphones and laptops (especially gaming laptops).

T. H. Tung – Chairperson of Pegatron Corporation

T. H. Tung is a famous Taiwanese businessman and philanthropist. He is famous as the co-founder of Asus and currently playing his role as the Chairperson of Pegatron. Tung completed his education from National Taipei University of Technology and started his career with Acer Inc. He later quit his job to co-found Asus.

Samsung 2021 Soundbar Lineup

Samsung 2021 Soundbar Lineup, TicWatch GTH Smartwatch and Garmin Venue series recently launched in the market.

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Last week, multiple companies launched new product lineups including Samsung. Mobvoi, and Garmin. Samsung brings to you the new Samsung 2021 Soundbar lineup which includes the new Q, A, and S Series soundbars. This is the first time in the world that any company is bringing an 11.1.4 channel soundbar for a more exquisite experience. Next in the line is Mobvoi who has recently rolled out TicWatch GTH Smartwatch in India at a comparatively cheaper price than the rest of the world. Last but not the least, last week Garmin revealed Venu 2 and Venu 2S smartwatches which are designed to provide scientifically-based healthcare and fitness solutions. So, let’s have a look at these stunning gadgets that already made their way into the wishlist of millions of users.

Samsung 2021 Soundbar Lineup

The new Samsung 2021 Soundbar will  create a more immersive sound experience for the customers with an 11.1.4 channel soundbar. The soundbars of all the three series (Q, A, and S) are tuned perfectly at the Audio Lab of Samsung in Valencia, California such that it provides an authentic in-home rich entertainment experience. The Samsung 2021 Soundbar are designed to match every environment from watching movies with your family to devouring in fierce gaming battles.

Samsung 2021 Soundbar Lineup
Image source: icdn.digitaltrends.com

The new models of the Q-series soundbar supports Dolby Atmos/ DTS:X and are integrated with Samsung’s SpaceFit Sound Technology. This technology automatically detects the background and analyzes it to provide optimized quality audio experience. The soundbars have in-built Amazon Alexa which will allow full control over the audio experience. Moreover, the new models have a gaming mode which is automatically activated when you add a gaming device to it. The Q-series models are starting at Rs 43,990.

The new A-series soundbars support Dolby Atmos/ DTS Virtual:X and these models come with high wattage. It comes with a new feature called Bass Boot that allows the users to add “more boom” and feel the sound with every beat. The A-series also have Adaptive Sound Lite that analyzes the audio content for each show you watch and then optimizes sound for series, TV news, etc. The A-series soundbar models are starting at Rs 27,990.

The new S-series is equipped with side horn speakers and acoustic beam technology which will generate a more dynamic and panoramic music experience. The amplified sound produced by the horn speakers will dominate the room creating a party-like mood for the users. This S-series also has built-in Amazon Alexa and with the help of Tap Sound one can connect the mobile to the speakers and play music. Apart from the rich immersive sound experience, the S-series is also designed in a premium fabric which will enhance the look of your living room. The S-series has a single model which is priced at Rs 47,990. All these new models are available at retail stores and also on Samsung’s website.

TicWatch GTH by Mobvoi

Mobvoi launched the TicWatch GTH globally a few months back but it was rolled out in India last week. This is the second affordable smartwatch by the company after it launched the GTX model last year. The new TicWatch GTH smartwatch features a 1.55-inch LCD display which is rectangular in shape. There is a small button on the right side used for multiple operations.  The GTH model will run on RTOS platform and like any other smartwatches will actively play its role as a fitness assistant. This new smartwatch has health and sports mode tracking along with heart rate and SpO2 monitor.

TicWatch GTH by Mobvoi
Image source: www.xda-developers.com

There is an app in this smartwatch called “TicZen” that collects your heart rate data all day along and analyzes it to provide results of your stress level. When it comes to tracking activities, the watch can track 14 different sports including yoga and mountain climbing. The watch has a unique feature of skin temperature monitoring and it is also water resistant. TicWatch GTH is available as a special Amazon product and is priced at Rs 4,799.

Specifications of Garmin Venue 2 and Venue 2S

Garmin Venue 2 and Venue 2S
Image source: cdn.vox-cdn.com

Last week, Garmin India launched Venue 2 and Venue 2S smartwatches exclusively for providing better fitness solutions and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. These new smartwatches have in-built Health Snapshot feature which allows a 2-min session for all users helping to track statistics precisely. The tracking features of these smartwatches include heart rate monitoring, stress monitoring, Pulse Ox2 sensor, respiration tracking, menstrual cycle monitoring, etc. It also has an interesting feature powered by Firstbeat Analytics that will allow users to gain scores depending on the quality and quantity of sleep of the user. This new product lineup is available on Amazon, Flipkart, Tata CLiQ, Nykaa, and Synergizer, The Venue 2 smartwatch is priced at Rs 41,990 while the Venue 2S is priced at Rs 37,990.

Google's Play Store

Google’s Play Store becomes the victim of Antitrust Lawsuit filed by the Multiple States.

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It is not new that many nations have targeted big multinational companies like Google and Facebook earlier for their exceptional market power. Google has become the main target of many states this time for the offensive revolt against Big Tech. On 7th July, attorney generals from thirty-six states and the District of Columbia filed an antitrust lawsuit which targets Google’s Play Store. This is the fourth major antitrust lawsuit that the US government officials have charged Goggle with in the past ten months. The US states are targeting Play Store this time which is the power hub of any Android device in order to download applications.

Google’s Play Store
Image source: www.deccanherald.com

The Antitrust Lawsuit

The complaint launched against Google constitutes 144 pages and it was filed late on Wednesday. All the nations have filed the lawsuit together in a Northern California federal court against Google. Several attacks on a large tech conglomerate like Google will begin to form a stale relationship between the US nations and the company and most of the time common people become the victim of such battles. People are immensely dependent on the services and products provided by Google’s Play Store and any disruption of these services would cause a huge loss for the Android users and more.

Also, the lawsuit filed against Google also comes as a backdrop of proposed laws in Congress curated in a way that will either break up or undermine the massive power of the company (The Indian Express). Though the antitrust lawsuit of yesterday has been filed against Google, the target here is every giant tech company like Google, Apple, Amazon and Facebook that holds unfathomable power in the market. Each of these four companies have built a trillion-dollar market due to the huge popularity of their services and a huge fraction of the population using it.

Reason for Filing Lawsuit

The recent lawsuit resembles the one filed by Epic, mobile game maker voicing against both Google and Apple. Epic raised the concern about the control that Google exerts on the Play Store. It mentioned that Google collects commission for up to 30 percent for digital transactions taking place in these apps that are run on Android and installed by the users. And, these Android users accounts for almost 80 percent of the total smartphone market. Epic has filed against both Apple and Google but the trial with Google is still awaiting.

The commission charged by Google is similar to the terms of Apple but Google also allows its customers to download applications from other sites apart from Play Store. But, Apple users can strictly install apps only from its store and no other outlets. But, the lawsuit filed yesterday specifically mentions that it seems like Google’s android software is an open operating system but in real life it doesn’t allow customers with much choices.

Allegations Against Google’s Play Store

The complaint says that over the years Google has deployed many tactics to create unhealthy competition. Google made sure that it distributes more than 90 percent app on these Android devices which according to the nations is an illegal monopoly. The government officials says that it is hurting the developers of these apps who have less resources to innovate. Sean Reyes, Utah Attorney General has said that Google’s monopoly is creating a havoc in the marketplace as it is harming small businesses and consumers.

In response to all these allegations Google didn’t instantly respond to a request for a lawsuit. But, Google has been targeted by multiple nations in the past one year and it is defending itself confidently in each case. The concerns have grown against the dominant power of its search engine as well as its digital network that generates more than $100 billion revenue for Alphabet Inc. Previously in response to how small businesses were getting affected by 30 percent commission cut, Google reduced it to 15 percent for the first $1 million revenue. But, even after doing so the situation didn’t cool down and several nations are still trying to dilute the power of these four biggest companies.

Samsung Galaxy F22

Samsung India announced the rollout of #FullOnBlockbuster Galaxy F22 designed for Gen Z users

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Samsung is one of the most popular smartphone brands in India and across the globe.  Yesterday, the company announced the launch of another iconic Galaxy smartphone calling it #FullOnBlockbuster. According to Samsung, the new Samsung Galaxy F22 is designed for Gen Z and as well as millenial customers as it will provide all-around performance fulfilling the needs of every customer.

The Samsung Galaxy F22 has been designed keeping in mind how young generation and their choices are evolving. Though the Galaxy F series already became a big hit in the market, this new #FullOnBlockbuster smartphone will take the legacy of Samsung smartphone to greater heights. Samsung Galaxy F22 is featuring a stunning 6.4 inch HD+ sAMOLED display providing a refresh rate of 90Hz. It also has a massive battery life, Android 11 OS, and impressive camera system to keep up with the lifestyle trends of today’s kids.

Features and Specifications of Samsung Galaxy F22

The new Samsung Galaxy F22 has some impressive new and upgraded features which mainly focuses on enhancing smooth user experience while multitasking. So, let’s have a look at the specifications of the latest model in the Galaxy F series.

Samsung Galaxy F22
Image Source: news.samsung.com

The Super AMOLED Display

Samsung Galaxy F22 has introduced an upgraded display as it features Super AMOLED Infinity U-Screen. Providing refresh rate of 90Hz, it is the perfect smartphone for the bingewatchers as they can avoid any of stutter while watching. Samsung Galaxy F22 also has Dolby Atmos support enhancing your bingewatching experinece with quality audio. Moreover, the smooth display will allow the users to scroll their feeds on social media uninterrupted. The screen of this smartphone is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5 to minimize the chances of scratches or crack lines on the screen. The highest brightness peak in Samsung Galaxy F22 is 600 nits which will allow a better viewing experience even under direct sunlight. 

Long battery life of Samsung Galaxy F22

As mentioned earlier, the new #FullOnBlockbuster smartphone has a massive battery life of 6000mAh and it comes with a USB-C type fast charger. According to Samsung, the new smartphone is capable of delivering 120+ hours of music playback, 20+ hours of video playback, and much more.

The long life battery paired with the Advanced Octa-Core Mediatek Helios G80 processor will assure high productivity from Samsung Galaxy F22. The new smartphone will provide optimized performance and most importantly one can enjoy the ease of smooth multitasking without worrying much about frequent charging the phone. The Gen Z kids are always switching apps from browsing to Netflix several times a day, and this smartphone is the perfect solution for managing multiple apps.

The #FullOnBlockbuster Camera

The camera quality is one of the most important element in today’s smartphone as it works just fine as replacement of a heavy gear. The craze for uploading “aesthetic” pictures in social media has increased the demand for good camera quality in today’s smartphone.

Samsung Galaxy F22 is featuring a True 48MP Quad Camera setup embedded with ISOCELL Plus Technology. One will be able to capture high quality shots with visible minute details with the help of GM2 sensor. Along with the 48MP sensor, the camera system has a 8MP ultra-wide lens with 123 degrees field of view. One can also try in hands in macro photography with the 2MP sensor which also macro live focus feature in it. This will allow you to take stunning portrait shots just from a smartphone. Along with this rear camera system, the Samsung Galaxy F22 has a 13MP front camera to capture hood quality selfies. Different camera modes like Pro mode, Food Mode, Hyperlapse, etc are also available for creating stunning content for your Instagram page.

Price and Availability

Samsung Galaxy F22 is coming in the market at a very affordable price rate. The starting price of the phone is Rs 12,499 which is for 4GB+64GB variant and the price for 6GB+128GB variant is Rs 14,499. You can start booking your #FullOnBlockbuster phone either on the Samsung online store or Flipkart starting on 13th July. The models will be available on two colors – Denim Blue and Denim Black.