Tech News Updates: July 2018

Tuesday, July 31, 2018

MoviePass Hikes Prices in the Face of Mounting Losses

The new $15-a-month rate for up to one movie each day still won't make MoviePass profitable.

Nike PhantomVSN Integrates Smart Technology to Make The Football Boot Better

Top footballers will use these boots in the upcoming football league seasons.

Facebook Is Redesigning Its Navigation Bar on Mobile Devices to Add a Personal Touch

Facebook's personalised navigation bar for Android and iOS will be rolled out globally over the next few weeks.

Fortnite 5.10 Content Update Patch Notes: Guided Missiles, Fly Explosives, and More

Fortnite patch notes reveal the highlight of 5.1 content update is the comeback of Guided Missiles.

348-year-old Radioactive Molecule Detected in Space

The scientists observed that the molecules in the debris surrounding CK Vul is located approximately 2000 light-years from the Earth. Further, astronomers claim that this is the first molecule bearing an unstable radioisotope definitively detected outside of our solar system.

Tech Hacks: 10 Ways To Make Your Interactions With Gadgets More Productive

Here are ten of our favourite tech life hacks you can use to simplify your day to day work.

Apple Races Towards Trillion-Dollar Valuation Mark as iPhone And Services Provide Fuel in Q3 2018

This was the best ever June quarter for Apple.

Facebook Uncovers Political Influence Campaign Ahead of US Midterm Elections

Facebook said it is shutting down 32 pages and accounts "engaged in coordinated inauthentic behavior," even though it may never be known for certain who was behind the operation.

Apple Quarterly Profit Leaps, Nears $1 Trillion Value

Apple's revenue in the fiscal third quarter soared 17 per cent to $53.3 billion from the same period a year earlier on the back of sales of pricier iPhones, online services and wearable devices.

Amazon Prime Video App's User Interface to Get a Major Upgrade: Report

Amazon Prime Video users could soon be receiving a new UI on their mobile devices.

YouTube Dark Mode Now Rolling Out to Android Devices

The YouTube dark mode turns the interface all black and reduces strain on the eyes while navigating the app, especially at night.

Fortnite Android Download May Not Be Available via Google Play: Report

Fortnite for Android doesn't have a release date yet, but that hasn't stopped speculation of it skipping the Google Play Store.

Google Home Schedule Routines Now Available, Gmail May Get Email Scheduling Feature Soon

A code reportedly found in the Gmail app for Android reveals that a scheduling feature could soon be added soon.

Shuttl Raises $11 Million in Series B Funding

The Shuttl Series B funding will allow the company to expand its geographical reach and serve more consumers across Indian cities.

Up to 70 Percent of Fashion Accessory Purchases Will be Mobile Driven by 2022: Report

According to the findings of the report, friction accounts for 19 per cent of consumer dropouts, in the apparel category.

Google Hires Sony's VR Expert Richard Marks

Recently he helped develop the "PlayStation VR", which debuted in 2016 for "PlayStation 4".

Snapchat Partners With NFL, NBC to Bring More Sports Videos For Users

"Each Monday throughout the Premier League season, the show will bring snapchatters in the US a recap of the weekend's top action and standout storylines."

Samsung Posts USD 13.3 Bn in Operating Profit as Revenue Falls 4 Percent in Q2

"Second quarter revenue fell due to softer sales of smartphones and display panels, despite robust demand for memory chips."

Oppo, Realme Split Into Two Separate Brands Within Months of Launch

Li had originally made the announcement of breaking away from OPPO and founding the brand Realme on Chinese microblogging website named Weibo.

All Roads Will Lead to The Next iPhone at Apple Q3 Earnings Results

The June quarter is typically the leanest for Apple, in terms of sales, as most consumers wait for the next lot of iPhones.

Uber: Spain Taxi Strike Against Ride-Hailing Services to Continue

The strike against Uber began in Barcelona last week and spread to Madrid at the weekend as drivers blocked main thoroughfares, demanding action from the government.

Oppo F9 Pro Teaser Out, Reveals Notch Display, VOOC Charging Support

The new VOOC charging promises a 2 hour talk time with only 5 minutes of charge.

WhatsApp Finally Brings Group Video, Voice Calling Feature on Android and iOS

The new WhatsApp feature has been awaited by many since long.

Honor Note 10 Launch Today: Here is What to Expect

Honor Note 10 is set to make its debut today as a successor to Honor's Note series after two years.

Skechers Go Walk Revolution Ultra Review: A New Beginning For The Running Shoe Family

After years of design stagnation, Skechers has embarked on a mission of modernity with this shoe, and the results are impressive.

IT Secretary Calls for More Stringent Rules on WhatsApp

A cyber expert further suggested that WhatsApp must appoint a grievance officer in India for quick and effective resolution, as messages spread like wildfire on WhatsApp.

Mozilla Is Redesigning the Iconic Firefox Logo and Asking Users to Give Feedback

Mozilla has shared two design system approaches and asks users to give their feedback on the initial designs.

Sluggish Galaxy S9 Sales Hurt Samsung in Q2

The company has released the numbers for the quarter, and the company’s run of record profits has hit what is hopefully a temporary speed bump.

Swiggy Super Is a Paid Subscription Programme With Free Food Delivery, Priority Customer Care

Swiggy Super customers will also be order food without any surge pricing and get priority issue resolution through a dedicated customer care team, apart from free delivery.

Monday, July 30, 2018

Uber Hits the Brakes on Self-Driving Trucks in the US

In the absence of an urgent need for self-driving trucks to keep Uber Freight competitive, members of that team will work on autonomous cars or be offered spots elsewhere in the company.

TRAI Chairman RS Sharma Continues to Face Fallout Over Aadhaar Tweet Row; His Phone Battery is The Latest Victim

The Aadhaar Authentication request OTPs being generated by unknown people is hampering the TRAI chief’s ability to use this phone.

Xiaomi Redmi Y2 Flash Sale at 12 pm: Here is All You Need to Know

Xiaomi Redmi y2 is also going on sale today alongside the Honor 9N

Honor 9N First Flash Sale Today on Flipkart With 'Buy One Get One' Offer And More

There is also a 'Buy One Get One' offer running on the Honor 9N.

WhatsApp Group Video, Video Calling Feature Rolled Out for Android, iOS Users

WhatsApp group video calling on Android and iOS supports up to four people.

Twitter Hopes Academics Will be Able to Address Toxic Conversations on The Social Network

This comes after the social network purged fake accounts recently, and reported strong quarterly earnings.

Smarter Smartphones on The Way as 80% of New Phones Will Have AI by 2023

The research also says that almost 50% of smartphones being sold now also have an artificial assistant built-in.

Xiaomi Mi A2 Launched, Honor 9N and Huawei Nova 3 in India, Jio Numbers, and More News This Week

Xiaomi Mi A2, Mi A2 Lite price revealed, Honor 9N launched in India, Jio's latest numbers, and more news this week.

Honor 9N vs Honor 9 Lite: The Two Honor Smartphones Competing Very Closely

Here is a comparison between two Honor smartphones priced very closely to each other.

Amazon Prime Video App's User Interface to Get a Major Upgrade: Report

Amazon Prime Video users could soon be receiving a new UI on their mobile devices.

WhatsApp: New Features and Updates WhatsApp Introduced in 2018

Here's a rundown of all the new WhatsApp features and WhatsApp updates that have already been released or are in the pipeline for 2018.

YouTube Dark Mode Now Rolling Out to Android Devices

The YouTube dark mode turns the interface all black and reduces strain on the eyes while navigating the app, especially at night.

The Biggest Fortnite Controversies Thus Far

Fornite has had its fair share of controversies along with its towering success.

Fortnite Android Download May Not Be Available via Google Play: Report

Fortnite for Android doesn't have a release date yet, but that hasn't stopped speculation of it skipping the Google Play Store.

Google Home Schedule Routines Now Available, Gmail May Get Email Scheduling Feature Soon

A code reportedly found in the Gmail app for Android reveals that a scheduling feature could soon be added soon.

Airtel Launches Rs 597 Prepaid Plan With Unlimited Voice Calls And no FUP Limit

The new Airtel pan is for the users with a high voice call usage.

Shuttl Raises $11 Million in Series B Funding

The Shuttl Series B funding will allow the company to expand its geographical reach and serve more consumers across Indian cities.

Google Cloud to Hit 1 Billion Users Mark Later This Week

Google Cloud will be joining the bandwagon of other Google services with this milestone.

OxygenOS 5.1.4 Update Rolls Out on OnePlus 5, OnePlus 5T

The update brings battery optimisation and more.

Faster Charging Batteries Might be a Reality Soon With New Research Breakthrough

Apart from a possibility of a smartphone which could be fully charged in minutes, better batteries can also lead to the widespread adoption of two major clean technologies: electric cars and grid-scale storage for solar power.

Google Home Will Now be Able to Schedule Your Day For You Through 'Scheduled Routines'

According to Google, "Routines" will replace the "My Day" feature that users use to access on Google Home.

Samsung Galaxy On8 to Launch This Week at a Price of Rs 18,000

This would be Samsung's second online exclusive smartphone in two months.

Facebook is Training 7500 Content Reviewers to Fight Hate Speeches, Terror Content And Child Abuse

"Content review at this size has never been done before."

Snapdeal Fights Against Human Trafficking With "Kids Not For Sale" Campaign

Snapdeal has collaborated with Save The Children organisation to fight human trafficking in India.

Microsoft Needs a Surface Go as More Than Just an Apple iPad Rival

This is the most affordable Surface branded computing device you can buy right now. However, the answer is a bit more complex than simply finding the perfect ingredients for an “iPad killer”.

Sunday, July 29, 2018

Robots Left Unsecured Can be Remotely Controlled Through The Internet by Hackers: Study

The findings are a reminder that everyone needs to be mindful of security in an increasingly connected digital world.

Abusive Chats During Live Twitter Broadcasts Can Soon Get Your Account Blocked

The Periscope Community Guidelines apply to all broadcasts on both Periscope and Twitter.

AI Assistants Bloom: to be Used in 50 Percent of Smartphones Sold Globally This Year

In 2017, Google Assistant rose to be the top AI assistant with a 46.7 per cent market share.

Apple Announces Free iPhone Repair For Flood Hit Japan

Apple plans to accept requests for free repair of its products until the end of September.

Silicon Valley Gets a Hermes Store That Roots to Bring a Better Fashion Sense to The Tech Giants

Guillaume de Seynes, a top executive at Hermes, sees great potential in Silicon Valley.

LG to Introduce Signature Edition V35 From August 20; Only 300 Units to be Sold Globally

LG said it had allocated staff exclusively for warranty services of the device.

Tesla Made a $1500 Surfboard, And it Sold Out in a Day

A few of the units from the limited first production run can be found on eBay, being sold for a premium

NASA's Newest Planet 'Hunter' Starts Looking for New Worlds

Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) is NASA's latest satellite to search for planets outside our solar system, which are known as exoplanets.

Flock Offers HipChat, Stride Users 1-Year Free 'Pro' Subscription to Migrate

Flock on Saturday offered HipChat and Stride users an opportunity to try Flocks Pro plan for free for an entire year.

Apple Store App for iOS Gets Revamped Search Interface, With Voice Search Support

Additionally, Apple has also made updates to its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) app for iOS, promising bug fixes and performance improvements.

Srikrishna Committee Suggests Amendments in Aadhaar Act for Data Protection

Justice Srikrishna said data privacy is a burning issue and there are three parts to the triangle.

IBM Wins $83 Million From Groupon in Internet Patent Fight

A jury in Delaware said Groupon used IBM's patented e-commerce technology without authorisation following a two-week trial.

Supreme Court Slams Social Networks for Failing to Prevent Offensive Content

A bench of Justice Madan B. Lokur and Justice Deepak Gupta granted one month to the social media sites to ensure a foolproof mechanism to prevent uploading of objectionable materials.