Page 29 - Technology Internet

Facebook to launch its cryptocurrency next year: Report

Facebook, which owns WhatsApp and Instagram, is gearing up to launch its own cryptocurrency next year, the BBC reported on Friday.

India 2nd in government requests for users' data on FB

The Indian government requested Facebook to provide data for 20,805 users (including 861 emergency requests) -- second only to the US government -- in the July-December 2018 period and the social networking giant provided some data in 53 per cent of the cases.

Somany Ceramics revamped its mobile application and website

Having established itself as a notable brand in the Indian Ceramic Industry, Somany Ceramics remains committed to being at the forefront of technology and offering an unrivalled experience to its customers.To ensure this, Somany Ceramics launched a renewed mobile application for iOS and Android users as well as a website which offers an intuitive user interface, instant updates, faster navigation and improved search reflecting the company's constant endeavour to invent and innovate.Among the diverse new functionalities, the Somany app is a 'one-stop store' for the users which includes all necessary information linked to tiles, sanitaryware and bath fittings and all other ancillary products.The enhanced App is devised to refine the user's experience and allow an easier, faster and more intuitive access to all the updated product references. With brand-new design, advanced search functionality and simpler navigation, the upgraded app offers all the requisite information at just 'one ...

US Researchers develop new autonomous cars with human-like reasoning

The system, similar to human drivers, has the ability to detect any mismatches between its map and features of the road, determining if its position, sensors, or mapping are incorrect.

Two-time unlucky for Congress in Andhra Pradesh

: Death comes only once for any individual or thing but, for the Congress, it came for the second time in Andhra Pradesh. In 2014, voters in the state left the Congress buried, seething over the manner in which it divided the then united state. The grand old party, however, sought a resurrection in 2019 on the promise that it would accord special category status to the state but people only dug its (political) grave deeper. The Congress managed to poll an aggregate of 3,68,878 votes across all the 175 Assembly constituencies, a mere 1.17 per cent of the gross 3.13 crore-odd votes cast. It was worse than in 2014 when it managed 8,02,072 votes (2.77 per cent). Interestingly, NOTA percentage was better than that of the Congress in 2019. In all, 4,01,969 NOTA votes (1.28 per cent) were polled. The BJP that rode on the Modi wave across the country, did no better in Andhra Pradesh. This time, it got an aggregate of 2,64,303 votes (0. 84 per cent) only in the 174 ...

Depression may spread through social networks: Study

Depression and other mental health problems can spread through social networks, up to "three degrees of separation" -- or a friend of a friend of a friend, scientists warn. In a hyperconnected world, traditional social networks -- face-to-face contacts of daily life -- are unravelling with the loss of social supports, said researchers at the Flinders University in Australia. This is associated with increasing 'deaths of despair' related to alcohol, opiate overdose and suicide becoming more prevalent than ever, according to an article published in The Lancet journal. "Despair and distress can spread through social networks," said Professor Tarun Bastiampillai, from the Flinders University College of Medicine and Public Health. "The major implication is that instead of only resorting to medication, or individual psychological treatment, clinicians should also look to immediate social networks and wider social context including the influences of friends and family and wellbeing at work,"

China's tech 'Long March' could be road to nowhere

China's president has called for technological self-reliance in the escalating rivalry with America, but experts believe Beijing's late start on tech and relatively backward capabilities could make that a mission impossible. China has no doubt made an amazing transformation, from a former basket case wracked by mass famine and political upheaval to a highly connected society marked by growing use of renewable energy, a space programme, and bullet trains criss-crossing the country. But a closer look reveals that while China is adept at assembling foreign technologies into commercially successful products at home, its ability to innovate remains deeply hampered, tech experts said. Take semiconductors, the building blocks of the global digital architecture. China's government has poured money into an effort to develop its own semiconductors and chip designs but has not been able to close the gap with US, Japanese and South Korean rivals. "One way to look at (China's situation) is that ...

IGTV gets support for landscape videos

In yet another attempt to keep its long-video supporting IGTV feature afloat, Facebook-owned photo-messaging app Instagram has added support for videos shot in landscape mode.

Microsoft interns make English learning app

Eight interns from Microsoft's Garage Intern Team have developed an Android app - Read My World - for people willing to learn the English language.

Google Duo now has data saving, group calls for Android

Google Duo is rolling out group video calls and data saving mode for Android users in India. The feature will be available on iOS soon.

Distress can spread through social networks: Experts

With connecting to people is becoming more easier than ever due to the mushrooming online platforms, experts have warned that they should be careful about who they become friends with as despair and distress can spread through close social networks, up to "three degrees of separation" - or a friend of a friend of a friend.

TSMC to continue making chips for Huawei: Report

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) - the world's largest contract chipset maker - has said it would continue delivering critical semiconductors to Huawei Technologies even as chip designer ARM has cut ties with the tech giant.

No private e-mails, phone numbers accessed improperly: Instagram on Chtrbox case

Instagram Friday said initial investigations have showed that no private e-mails or phone numbers of its users have been accessed improperly, amid reports that an Indian entity stored its user data improperly. Earlier this week, reports emerged that database -- with over 49 million records and containing information of millions of Instagram influencers, celebrities and brand accounts -- was found online. The database was allegedly traced back to Mumbai-based Chtrbox. Instagram had said it was investigating whether the third party had improperly stored its user data, in violation of its policies. In a statement on Friday, an Instagram spokesperson said: "We take any allegation of data misuse seriously. Following an initial investigation into the claims made in this story, we found that no private e-mails or phone numbers of Instagram users were accessed". The spokesperson added that Chtrbox's database had publicly available information from many sources, one of which was ...

Elon Musk mocks Bezos' moon, space colony plans

SpaceX founder Elon Musk has mocked Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos' moon plans saying they make no sense.

China unveils 600 kmph magnetic levitation train prototype

China has unveiled a prototype magnetic levitation train with a designed maximum speed of 600 kmph, which its manufacturers say could pose a major competition to the airline industry. The train designed and made by the CRRC Qingdao Sifang Co, a wholly owned subsidiary of China, was unveiled on Thursday to the media in eastern port city of Qingdao in Shandong province, state-run China Daily reported on Friday. Once operationalised, it could pose a major competition to the airlines, its manufacturers said. It can help check and optimize key technologies and core system components of the high-speed maglev system and lay a technological basis for an engineering prototype, Ding Sansan, head of the train's research and development team and deputy chief engineer of CRRC Qingdao, said. "The prototype has already achieved static levitation and is in ideal condition," Sansan told media in Qingdao. "We are building an experimental centre and a trial production centre for high-speed maglev trains

Google now lets users order food via Search, Maps

Saving people the trouble of having to download an additional app, Google is now letting users order food directly via Search, Maps, or Assistant using its partnerships with delivery companies.

India 2nd in government requests for users' data on Facebook

The Indian government requested Facebook to provide data for 20,805 users (including 861 emergency requests) in the July-December 2018 period -- second only to the US government -- and the social networking giant provided some data in 53 per cent of the cases.

NASA's first-of-kind tests look to manage drones in cities

NASA has launched the final stage of a four-year effort to develop a national traffic management system for drones, testing them in cities for the first time beyond the operator's line of sight as businesses look in the future to unleash the unmanned devices in droves above busy streets and buildings. Multiple drones took to the air at the same time above downtown Reno this week in a series of simulations testing emerging technology that someday will be used to manage hundreds of thousands of small unmanned commercial aircraft delivering packages, pizzas and medical supplies. "This activity is the latest and most technical challenge we have done with unmanned aerial systems," said David Korsmeyer, associate director of research and technology at NASA's Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California. An autonomous drone took off Tuesday from the rooftop of a five-story casino parking garage and landed on the roof of another out of view across the street. It hovered as onboard ...

Facebook pulls down over 3 billion fake accounts

Facebook has removed more than three billion fake accounts in the October 2018-March 2019 period, saying that about 5 per cent of its monthly active users were fake.

Snapchat employees abused users' private data: Report

Workers across several departments at photo-messasing platform Snapchat who have privileged access to users' data spied on them for years, a Motherboard report has claimed.