Tech News Updates: August 2018

Friday, August 31, 2018

Apple to Repair Defective iPhone 8 Logic Boards For Free

The "logic board" is the main circuit board consisting of the central processing unit (CPU), main system memory and circuitry that controls the disk drive, keyboard, monitor and peripherals.

LinkedIn Says It’s Working to Combat Chinese Spy Accounts

The Microsoft-owned service said Friday it’s partnering with U.S. law enforcement agencies after uncovering fake LinkedIn profiles and other fraudulent activity.

The Robotel: Welcome to The Japan Hotel Staffed by Robot Dinosaurs

The reception at the Henn na Hotel east of Tokyo is eerily quiet until customers approach the robot dinosaurs manning the front desk. Their sensors detect the motion and they bellow "Welcome."

Twitter Plans Threaded Conversations, 'Who is Online' Feature

In a tweet, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said on Friday that the micro-blogging platform will soon get interesting updates.

Huawei Launches Smart Speaker With WiFi, Kirin 980, Leather P20 Pro at IFA 2018

Huawei had an action-packed keynote at IFA, revealing the chipset that took three years to build, a smart speaker to rival the big brands, new P20 color variants -- including leather -- and the release date for the latest Mate 20 series.

Apple Dominated Global Smartwatch Market in Q2 2018

According to Counterpoint's "Global Smartwatch Tracker", smartwatch makers are looking to add cellular connectivity for standalone use-cases as 90 percent of smartwatches shipped today are not cellular-capable.

Huawei Introduces World's First 5G-Ready 7nm Mobile Chipset Kirin 980

Commercial 7nm (nanometre) chipset Kirin 980 which is believed to be the most powerful smartphone SoC (system-on-a-chip) equipped with Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities.

Apple's Self-Driving Car Meets First Accident, But Nobody Was Hurt

Apple's autonomous car got into its very first crash one week ago in Sunnyvale, according to a report filed by Apple with the California Department of Motor Vehicles this week.

US Accuses China of 'Super Aggressive' Spy Campaign Through Fake Accounts on LinkedIn

The hackers stole sensitive private information, such as addresses, financial and medical records, employment history and fingerprints, of more than 22 million Americans who had undergone background checks for security clearances.

Google Maps Partners Redbus to Show Inter-City Bus Transport Information

Google Maps would now be able to assist travellers with inter-city bus transport information along with the driving and train route statistics.

Poco Launcher Now Available in Beta on Google Play Store, APK Listed for Download

Key features of the Poco Launcher include a clean home screen, an app drawer, privacy features, and icon customisation.

Magic Leap's Augmented Reality Gear Meets Actual Reality, and Stumbles

Here's six things that stand out about the real-life Magic Leap experience upon its debut.

Flipkart Finance, Flipkart Finance EMI Payment Options Spotted on the E-Commerce Platform

The Flipkart Finance feature is showing up on the website and the app as well, however it hasn't gone live as of now.

Amazon Pay to Acquire App Aggregator Tapzo: Report

Amazon is said to be looking to strengthen its hold in the ever-growing digital payments space in India by reportedly acquiring Tapzo, an India-based app aggregator.

Xiaomi Says Data of Indian Users Is Being Migrated to Local Cloud Infrastructure

Last year, Xiaomi had said it was open to moving its servers in the country after the government directed manufacturers to outline their privacy measures.

Mozilla Firefox Set to Block Ad Tracking, Cut Down Cryptocurrency Mining

In Firefox 65 version, Mozilla plans to strip cookies and block storage access from third-party tracking content.

Line Messaging App to Launch Its Own Cryptocurrency Called 'Link'

Line said on Friday it will launch a cryptocurrency in September, as the company tries to build up a wide range of businesses.

Google Pixel 3 Leaked Images Show Dual Camera Setup at The Front, Larger Display

Even the specifications of the Google Pixel 3 have been mentioned in the Reddit post.

Ola Announces Think Tank for Mobility Research

The Ola Mobility Institute will focus on the impact of mobility as a service, climate footprint, skill development, and job creation.

Russia Tries More Precise Technology to Block Telegram Messenger

Russia's authorities started trying to block Telegram in April but they inadvertently blocked Russian users' access to a slew of unrelated online services.

Tencent Loses $20 Billion in Value After China Attacks Myopia With Gaming Curbs

China's Ministry of Education, in a notice late on Thursday, directed the publishing regulator to limit the number of new online video games.

Motorola One, One Power With Android One, Dual-Camera Setup Announced at IFA 2018

The devices run Android 8.0 Oreo out-of-the-box, while Motorola has promised an update to Android 9 Pie, along with Android Q update for the phones.

Water Spotted at Jupiter's Great Red Spot: NASA

The pressure of the water, combined with the measurements of another oxygen-bearing gas, carbon monoxide, imply that Jupiter has two to nine times more oxygen than the sun.

Sony Launches New MHC-V21D Portable Party System

The one box system has Bluetooth capabilities, and a built-in carry handlebar allows it to move around easily.

Apple Watch Series 4 Appear in Gold Version Set to Launch on September 12

The latest Apple Watch is shown to sport an edge-to-edge display with reduced bezels.

Prasad Meets Pichai, Seeks Google's Involvement in Empowering Indians

India seeks greater involvement of Google in digital inclusion programmes including "Digital Village" initiative to empower millions of people in the country.

BlackBerry KEY2 LE With the Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 And Android 8.1 Oreo Launched at IFA 2018

The BlackBerry KEY2 LE price has been set at $399 (roughly Rs. 28,300) for the 4GB RAM/ 32GB storage variant in the US.

Android Phones to Have 85% Global Market Share in 2018: IDC

According to IDC's "Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker 2018", a more interesting trend happening with Android shipments is that the average selling prices (ASPs) are growing at a double-digit pace.

Useful or Creepy? Machines Suggest Gmail Replies

Google is toeing the line between helping you save time and creeping you out as it turns to machines to suggest email replies on your behalf.

Sony Xperia XZ3 With Android 9 Pie And Bravia TV Inspired HDR OLED Display Launched

The Xperia XZ3 comes with the same design language as the XZ2 which was launched at MWC 2018.

Thursday, August 30, 2018

Google Launchpad Accelerator India Shortlists 10 Startups

Google on Friday announced the first batch of 10 short-listed startups who will be part of its "Launchpad Accelerator" mentorship programme in India.

Google's Rumored More Affordable Pixel Phone Could Compete With OnePlus

The mid-tier smartphone is aimed at emerging markets including India, and the company is planning to launch the device early next year after launching the Pixel 3 and the Pixel 3 XL in the market.

Xiaomi India Migrates Its Local Data to India Cloud Infrastructure

Xiaomi is migrating its local data to Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure infrastructure in India and all the existing data would be migrated by the end of 2018.

Hack Causes Major Apps to Show Anti-Semitic Name

A number of people posted screenshots on Twitter showing "New York City" had been relabelled "Jewtropolis" on the Mapbox map used by companies and services such as Snapchat.

Chinese Regulator to Control Number of New Online Video Games

China's publishing regulator should control the number of new online video games and take measures to limit the amount of time young people spend playing games.

Redmi 6, Redmi 6 Pro, Redmi 6A to Launch in India on September 5

The Redmi 6 is expected to start at Rs. 8499 for the base variant with 3GB RAM/32GB storage. Expect the 4GB RAM/64GB storage variant to cost around Rs. 9,999. The Redmi 6 Pro will start at Rs. 11,999 for the base variant.

One of Next Apple iPhones Could be Called iPhone Xs

A technology news website, posted photographs of two gold iPhone models stacked on top each other, with a larger-screened model on the bottom.

Twitter Issues New Policy, Certification Process For Ads in US

This new policy will impact ads that refer to an election or a clearly identified candidate or ads that advocate for legislative issues of national importance, Del Harvey, Twitter's Vice President of Trust and Safety said in a blogpost late on Thursday.

Google Assistant Is Now Bilingual

Now Google Home and Android smartphone owners will be able to speak in any two of the following languages: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian and Japanese

Google Assistant Goes Bilingual, Lets You Speak Two Languages Interchangeably

With the annual tech show IFA 2018 kick-starting here, Google said that it is adding multi-lingual support to its Assistant.

One of Next Appel iPhones Could be Called iPhone Xs

A few hours after Apple's announcement, 9to5Mac, a technology news website, posted photographs of two gold iPhone models stacked on top each other, with a larger-screened model on the bottom.

Mark Your Calendar: Apple Will Unveil 2018 iPhones on 12 September

Apple is also expected to announce the India launch availability details of the new iPhones during the September 12 ‘Gather round’ event.

Microsoft Now Requires US Suppliers to Offer 12 Weeks of Parental Leave

Microsoft said Thursday it will begin requiring US suppliers to offer employees at least 12 weeks of paid parental leave.

Draglia Lost Is Nintendo's Next Mobile Game, Out September 27

The Dragalia Lost release date is September 27. It will be available in the US, Japan, Hong Kong, and Macau on that date.

WhatsApp to Train Indian Users on Dangers of Fake News

WhatsApp on Wednesday roped in New Delhi-based non-profit Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF) to create awareness among its users about the need to verify information.

Xiaomi Mi Pay UPI-Based Payment Platform Coming to India Soon, Awaiting RBI Licence Approval: Report

Xiaomi is currently awaiting licence approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and will look to tie up with several private lending firms in the country.

Google Partners Indian Lenders in Bid to Woo New Users

Google's ambitions could potentially pose a challenge for homegrown Paytm, backed by Japan's SoftBank and China's Alibaba and US conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway.

Fortnite Ace Pack for Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch PS4, Xbox One, and PC Available Now

Fortnite for Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, and Xbox One gets the Fortnite Ace Pack.

Amazon Said to Be on the Prowl for Movies From Sony, Paramount

Amazon is said to have held exploratory talks with executives at Sony's studio division and Viacom's Paramount Pictures.

China's Didi Vows to Prioritise Safety Over Growth After Murder of Passenger

Founded in 2012, Didi has through rapid expansion and a series of mergers become the world's largest ride-sharing firm by rides.

Netflix: How to Sign Up, Free Trial, Plans, Apps, Best Movies and Series, How to Download, and More

Netflix has over 130 million members worldwide and is set to spend $13 billion on content in 2018. If you're yet to sign up, here's how much it costs, how to get a free trial, and the best movies and TV shows available on Netflix.

Video Games Not to Blame for US Shooting, Says Asia's Top E-Sports Body

Video games are not to blame for the recent mass shooting at a competitive gaming tournament in United States, Asia's top e-sports body said Wednesday.

Snapchat Preferred by US Teenagers Over Facebook, Instagram: eMarketer

Snapchat is the most preferred social networking platform among US teenagers, surpassing the user base of Facebook and Instagram in that age-category, says a new study.

Microsoft OneDrive and SharePoint Get Video and Audio Transcription, Smart Image Search, and More

Starting off with AI-powered transcription features, native support for audio and video file transcription will roll out in OneDrive and SharePoint starting later this year.

Yahoo Mail Scans Your Emails, Sells Data to Advertisers: Here's How to Opt Out

Verizon's Oath is reportedly pitching data from almost 200 million Yahoo Mail accounts to advertisers.

Rights Groups Urge Google Not to Bend to China Censors

The letter to Google was signed by 14 groups including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Reporters Without Borders.

Telegram Says to Cooperate in Terror Probes, Except in Russia

Telegram said it would disclose its users' data to "the relevant authorities" if it receives a court order to do so, although not in Russia.

Facebook Briefly Removed Cross-Posted Tweets, Says Deleted Twitter App for Facebook Responsible

For a few hours, users could not find their cross-posted tweets on Facebook.

Trump Warns Google, Facebook, Twitter, Tells Them to Be 'Careful'

President Donald Trump stepped up attacks on big tech firms Tuesday, warning Facebook, Google and Twitter to be "careful."

Google Being Probed by White House After Trump Accuses It of Bias

Google denied any political bias, saying in a statement that its search engine is "not used to set a political agenda and we don't bias our results towards any political ideology."

How Apple Is Attracting Indian Artists, Developers to Grow Its Presence

Apple Music is using programmes such as Hear it Here First (HIHF) and New Artist Spotlight to promote Indian talent, whereas the App Accelerator in Bengaluru is empowering Indian developers.

Instagram Adds Verified Accounts to 'Stop Bad Actors'

Blue badges displayed at Instagram accounts will indicate holders have gone through a verification process that includes providing photos of identity documentation.

Google Maps Partners Redbus to Show Inter-City Bus Transport Information

Google Maps would now be able to assist travellers with inter-city bus transport information along with the driving and train route statistics.

Google 'Titan Security Key' Now Available on Play Store

The key was announced by Google in July as a device to authenticate logins over Bluetooth and USB, offering significantly stronger security than a confirmation code.

Micromax Yu Ace With 4000 mAh Battery, Face Unlock Launched at Rs 5,999

The smartphone runs the latest Android Oreo operating system.

Honor 7S to be Launched in India in September: Everything we About The Device

Honor 7S will house a 13.84cm HD+ "FullView" display with an aspect ratio of 18:9 and will be fuelled by a 3020mAh battery.

LG Candy Launched in India For Rs 6,699

LG Candy will be available for sale starting 1st Sep 2018.

Xiaomi Leads Indian Wearables Market in Q2: IDC

The Indian wearables market witnessed an impressive growth of 66 per cent year-over-year (YOY) -- making it the biggest quarter for the wearables category in the country.

Updated Google 'Wear' OS Coming With Easy Swipe Feature

Apart from maintaining schedules, checking weather, booking reservations, Google Assistant on the rebranded "Wear OS" would also suggest features on the device that could become helpful over time as it gets familiar with the user's preferences and requirements.

Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 35 Review: Withstood The Test of Time, and Running Towards Perfection

The longevity of the Pegasus shoe line-up is a testament to how Nike has been able to adapt this particular shoe every year to adopt new technologies as well as to deliver on the often changing performance and comfort demands of the runners.

Apple A12 Chip With 7nm Architecture Expected to be More Power Efficient

Apple will be adopting the 7nm manufacturing process for the chipset powering the next generation of iPhones.

India Shortlisted Among 5 Countries For Uber Flying Cabs

Uber will choose one of the cities from these 5 shortlisted countries as its third launch city for flying taxis -- after Dallas and Los Angeles in the US.

Poco Launcher Now Available in Beta on Google Play Store, APK Listed for Download

Key features of the Poco Launcher include a clean home screen, an app drawer, privacy features, and icon customisation.

Apple Buys Startup That Makes Lenses For Augmented Reality Glasses

Apple confirmed it acquired Longmont, Colorado-based Akonia Holographics. "Apple buys smaller companies from time to time, and we generally don't discuss our purpose or plans," the iPhone maker said in a statement.

Social Media Must Clamp Down on Hate Speech: UN

Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, was speaking after U.N. experts accused Myanmar generals of "genocidal intent" and said Facebook had allowed its platform to be used to incite violence against Rohingya.

China Launches Piyao Web Service to Eliminate Online Rumours

The platform, launched on Wednesday, comes as Beijing steps up efforts to police the internet, especially social media used by people to discuss politics and other sensitive subjects, despite stringent censorship.