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Indias ban on Chinese apps left gaping holes across sectors that homegrown apps rushed to fill in.

Before it was banned, CamScanner was a popular document scanning app, with more than 100 million downloads in India despite storing sensitive user data abroadand malware concerns.Now, an Indian startup wants to build a similar product but with a promise not to abuse users data.

Launched in the middle of June 2020 by entrepreneurs Snehanshu Gandhi, Gaurav Shrishrimal and Tamanjit Singh Bindra, Kaagaz Scanner has had 1.1 million downloads. It saw 200,000 downloads in three days after the Chinese apps were banned.

Chinese apps could still operate, but something needed to be done about the data abuse. For Kaagaz, the app, all its data is offline. Even when we launch online storage, our cloud servers will be only in India, Shrishrimal told Moneycontrol over the phone from Mumbai where the company is based.

The timing of the launch proved fortuitous. On June 30, India banned 59 Chinese apps, including TikTok and CamScanner, two weeks after 20 of its soldiers were killed in a clash with China along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh.

Currently only on Android, Kaagaz Scanner averages about 15,000 downloads a day. The app works offline only, which means it stores no data online, on its cloud or anywhere else.

Around 60 percent of the growth is organic, without any marketing.

Also read: CamScanner alternatives: Here are five apps that you can use

A crowded space

On its initial promise, it has also raised an undisclosed amount in funding from First Cheque VC, an early-stage investor but despite this traction, challenges are aplenty.

For one, the market for digitising documents is huge. Not just startups, even technology giants such as Adobe and Microsoft, with its Lens product, have set sights on this market. These are companies with decades of experience in the digital work and productivity space and no shortage of cash.

A Google Play Store search throws up at least a dozen free documents and PDF scanner alternatives.

None of these apps charge users either. Even CamScanner, in its heyday, had a premium version for which users had to pay but the free version had enough users350 million, according to a person aware of the matter. The paid version never became mainstream.

Kaagaz faces stiff competition and Shrishrimal knows it.

We want to improve the product before launching the premium version. No one will pay for vanilla cloud storage. But I do think if we offer smart storage, people will pay for it. If you upload your documents they automatically get categorised and searchable. You are uploading so much data, the data should start working for you, he said.

Also read: Chingari has India hooked but what does it take to run a social media platform with millions of users?

The automatic sorting ties in neatly with Sorted AI, an app Shrishrimal and the other two founders launched a year before Kaagaz Scanner.

Sorted AI can automatically categorise documents, and read their dates, say insurance or passport renewal, and send reminders. This the founders believe gives them the edge.

We do have competition from big companies but we have been building our artificial intelligence (AI) product for a year now. No one else has that, Shrishrimal added.

For apps in general, downloads can be a vanity metric. The metric that determines revenue, advertising and even funding is retentionhow many users come back to the app after downloading it.

Kaagaz has about 60,000 returning users a day, which is not bad for a startup in a niche sector.

Monetisation for apps, in general, has been a challenge in India, though that is changing gradually in areas such asgamingand education.

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This Indian startup wants to be the new CamScanner, without abusing data. Will it work? - Moneycontrol.com

The role of technology in business is crucial. It has changed every aspect of the way businesses operate.

With proper technology in place, small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) can save time, energy, resources and money while becoming more productive, competitive and secure.

In a webinar session presented by HP for Business and organised by Star Media Group, the discussion highlighted the need for technology adoption for efficient business management.

Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation Bhd (MDEC) Global Growth Acceleration vice-president Gopi Ganesalingam moderated the session.

Kicking off the Maximising Business Efficiency Through Technology webinar was HP Inc Malaysia managing director Fayza Mohamed Amin, who shared that technology remained the key connector, and that it had been adapted to the companys business model, especially during the recovery movement control order (MCO) period, in many different forms.

We learn to use technology in different ways. We learn how to rebuild the workflow using the technology that we have based on necessity.

We change the way we operate, the way we think and learn to communicate (using available technology) so that everyone gets the point, she said.

For instance, using a video conferencing platform, she said, kept people closer because of the continuous communication.

While stressing that micro mobility was the future of work, she said that changing business workstyles demand that SMBs be more flexible, efficient and connected, wherever they are.

Fayza said they had shown their partners retailers and corporations available technological schemes to face challenges in their business operations including in managing assets and costs.

Fellow panellist DoubleWoot Online Fashion co-founder Helen Tan concurred, saying that technology played an important role in optimising business productivity.

We have, in fact, invested a lot of time and effort in streamlining our operations by leveraging on technologies to grow and build our business globally.

We have updated a few key processes to increase productivity, such as shifting to cloud servers, developing various plug-ins which seamlessly integrate to our e-commerce platform, automated our order processing and of course, allow cross collaborations between different work functions any time, anywhere through smart devices and centralised dashboard.

Having said that, we are glad that we can leverage on the advantages of our existing technology backbone, which we established before the MCO, and enhanced it through explorations of artificial intelligence (AI), which can further strengthen our digital presence, said Tan.

Another panellist Naluri Hidup Sdn Bhd chief executive officer and co-founder Azran Osman-Rani, shared how technology has been able to protect both salaries and jobs.

We are excited about hiring and developing psychologists, dietitians and fitness coaches who know how to use our tech and analytics platform and decision-support tools to provide online coaching very differently than they would with face-to-face interactions or even just video conferencing one-on-one, he pointed out.

In terms of managing cybersecurity risk challenges efficiently and effectively, Fayza said clients, including SMBs were advised to use technology which they fully understand, learn more about this technology and secure their data.

Leaders and employees must equip themselves with basic IT skills including ways to protect each other from cyberattacks.

Leaders must also put high emphasis on IT teams within businesses to ensure secured telecommunications and configuration is applied to all servers and network devices.

It is encouraging to see SMBs ensuring digital solutions and decisions are secure and holistic to mitigate the effects, with increase in dependency for digital protection (antivirus software), she said.

Tan said SMBs should not take security aspects lightly when involved in online business.

On this aspect, Azran as a technology entrepreneur said, AI was used to help healthcare professionals make quick and accurate decisions, assisting their clients and patients to make healthier choices and habits.

To a question by a participant on how much should be invested in technology for a business, Fayza shared that her previous experience with government-linked companies (GLCs) showed that technology accounted for between 10% and 20% of its total revenue.

Today, I think GLCs together with SMBs would have the same priority (on investing in technology). Technology should be a main component in terms of doing business because todays business model depends purely on technology.

You need to have the right technology for your business and understand how to leverage this technology to develop your business model that will work in these uncertain times, she added.

On the advice that she would give to companies trying to integrate technology into their operations, Fayza said, Be ready to be ready.

She said knowledge, culture and the right people would be key elements for success in technology adoption, adding that even if your people are not right, make them right.

Tan advised business owners to identify pain points in their operations, as technology could assist in optimising time and resources.

Maybe, you can map your digitalisation roadmaps yearly and integrate one by one over time, she said.

Azran, who believes a fantastic support community already exists, said, If you ask for help, people will be genuinely eager to share their experience (on technology adoption).

Fayza added that they remain committed to supporting the future digital transformation journey of SMBs as they adapt during this period.

See digital as the way forward, she said.

Asked by a participant if there were any government grants available for businesses to go online, Gopi added that there were two.

SMEs and corporates can apply for smart automation grant of up to RM200,000, or adoption grant of up to RM5,000 for cloud services or cloud solution.

To learn more about HP for Business, visit https://www8.hp.com/my/en/solutions/small-business.html

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Efficiency through digital transformation - The Star Online

Amazon has launched its own fitness wearable and health app, built not just to log a persons physical activity but to also track their emotional well-being by scanning the tone of their voice day-to-day.

The Halo service and its wristband trackera slimmed-down version compared todevices offered by Apple and Fitbit, with no touchscreen or notificationsuses a combination of artificial intelligence-powered sensors and a smartphone camera to build a 3D model of the wearer,providingdata on body fat percentage, temperature, heart rate and sleep quality. Along with a weeklong battery, the water-resistant device is designed to be worn 24/7.

Meanwhile, two microphones record the tone of a persons voice, and use machine learning to note signs of energy and positivity, or even tiredness and stress. This could help the wearer log their emotions throughout the day, and help them understand how they may sound to others, Amazon said.

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Health is much more than just the number of steps you take in a day or how many hours you sleep, said Maulik Majmudar, principal medical officer for Amazons Halo project.

Despite the rise in digital health services and devices over the last decade, we have not seen a corresponding improvement in population health in the U.S., Majmudar added. We are using Amazons deep expertise in artificial intelligence and machine learning to offer customers a new way to discover, adopt and maintain personalized wellness habits.

RELATED: Secret Amazon research unit developing health tech with Fred Hutch: report

And while its not a medical device per se, data from Halo will link with Cerners electronic health records and participating care providers. Integrating the revolutionary body fat percentage measurement from Amazon Halo directly into the EHR provides physicians an actionable and previously hard to obtain health metric without the need for a doctors visit or costly technology, said Cerner Chairman and CEO Brent Shafer.

All the health data collected by the device are encrypted before being sent to Amazons cloud servers, with body scan images automatically deleted after processing, the company said. Voice samples, on the other hand, cannot be listened to; they are analyzed locally on a persons smartphone and deleted thereafter.

The voice AI program, referred to as Tone, passively analyzes a persons pitch, intensity, tempo and rhythmand provides a summary that can be used to identify emotional trends throughout the day.

I have been working from home with three kids under the age of four, so I use Tone to gut check that I am not taking any stress out on my family or friends, said Majmudar, who before joining Amazon was associate director of the Healthcare Transformation Lab at Massachusetts General Hospital and an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School.

I check my Tone results so that I can be more intentional about how I communicate in these strange timesand have noticed it takes a burden off my wife, as she doesnt have to be the one to tell me I am overly stressed, he said.

RELATED: Alexa, whats my blood sugar?Amazon unveils HIPAA-compliant voice services

Amazon is also working with a host of healthcare providers, fitness companies and wellness developers to provide challenges, workouts and ways to link accounts. This includes the American Heart Association and the Mayo Clinic, as well as Orangetheory Fitness and WW, formerly known as Weight Watchers.

WW will also offer a free Band and six months of the Halo service as part of a new WW membership. The Amazon Halo Body composition tool is an important complement to weight measurement, and we are thrilled our members will have access to this information on a regular basis from the comfort and privacy of their own homes, WW CEO Mindy Grossman said.

Halo will also serve as the complimentary wearable for the life insurance provider John Hancock, as a strategic collaboration with its Vitality digital wellness program. In 2018, the company announced that it would only offer plans that incorporate active wellness tracking and health data.

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Amazon debuts first health-focused wearablebuilt to track daily steps, tone of voice and emotional states - FierceBiotech

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Ordinarily, a new medical treatment is approved only after at least one large-scale, randomized controlled trial shows it to be effective without being harmful. Yet at times and notably during epidemics evidence can mount that a treatment is safe and effective before we have that final evidence. We think this is the case with Covid-19 and convalescent plasma.

On Sunday, the Food and Drug administration gave a limited, emergency authorization for the inpatient use of convalescent plasma, which is donated by people who have recovered from Covid-19. The decision set off a mediafirestorm, with politicians, public-health officials and medical professionals insisting that the Donald Trump administration was playing politics with science.

But as two authors of astudythe FDA relied on heavily in making its decision, we believe that there are several convincing reasons that going ahead now with emergency use of the treatment is the right way to save lives until the large randomized trials now being mounted can be completed.

First, human plasma is used as a treatment all the time in clinical medicine. Plasma is obtained from donors and distributed by blood banks, and about two million units are used annually in the U.S. Convalescent plasma for patients with Covid-19 differs from ordinary plasma only in that it comes from individuals who have recovered from the disease, and is therefore expected to be rich in antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Second, the largest study to date, done by the Mayo Clinic and colleagues, hasproduced firm evidencebased on the first 20,000 treated patients, that acute side effects were extremely rare. Covid-19 plasma has proved as safe as regular plasma.

Third, an especially a strong piece of evidence has recently emerged from the most recent Mayo Clinic study, and it was this new finding that compelled the FDA to act. Blood banks have a policy of retaining a small amount of plasma or serum from each unit they provide to hospitals, to allow testing of the sample in case an unexpected infection or other complication is found in the recipient. This practice permitted researchers to measure the amount of antibody provided to several thousand transfused Covid-19 patients, and it showed that mortality in recipients was directly and strongly related to the amount of antibody in the transfused plasma.

This finding of a clear dose-response relationship is as close to the result of a randomized trial as could be designed. The amount of antibody in plasma was unknown to anyone when it was provided to the patient. In effect, patients were assigned, in a process akin to randomization, to different levels of antibody, and the results showed that the active principle in convalescent plasma the antibody level was effective in reducing mortality. (We do not yet know whether recipients of plasma with lower levels of antibody benefited or might still have fared better than if they had received none.)

This finding was posted on Aug. 12 on the MedRxiv server, which publishes preliminary reports of work that has not been certified by peer review. (It had nearly 40 co-authors, including ourselves.) We know that scientists at the FDAs division of biologics reviewed this data and additional data requested from Mayo before last weekends approval announcement. We find no suggestion of unreasonable delay or unreasonable haste in the FDA action. The political overlay that science must sometimes endure can be very misleading.

The Mayo findings along with two randomized controlled trials that showed reduced mortality with convalescent plasma but below the threshold of statistical significance point to the effectiveness of convalescent plasma when used appropriately. Ameta-analysisof these smaller studies found that plasma administration was associated with a 57% reduction in mortality.

The efficacy of convalescent plasma treatments can also be seen in the long history of successful treatment of infections ranging from meningitis to diphtheria to pneumonia with convalescent plasma. We also know that human convalescent plasma is effective in animals infected with the Covid-19 coronavirus, and that it contains antibodies that neutralize the virus in the laboratory.

More than 1,000 Americans are dying daily of Covid-19.Is it wiser to wait until we have one or more large, properly controlled randomized trials of convalescent plasma before using it as treatment? Not when we can allow broader access for hospitalized patients to a treatment that is demonstrably safe and that has an abundance of evidence of effectiveness.

The FDA decision also addresses a health equity issue. Plasma was already available in the U.S. for some people in hospitals with sufficient resources to navigate the prior access rules, which required physicians to fill in the paperwork needed to secure it for their patients and then continued monitoring. Under the new FDA rules, dispensing plasma is easier for understaffed hospitals caring for underserved populations to get plasma to their patients.

We agree that randomized controlled trials are the gold standard when it comes to the evaluation of disease. But we cannot always wait for gold. And convalescent plasma appears to be the silver lining in the gloomy cloud of Covid-19. Bloomberg

Also read: 9 reasons why Covid vaccine will be widely available in 2021

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Convalescent plasma appears to be the silver lining in the gloomy cloud of Covid-19 - ThePrint