Page 30 - Technology Internet

SpaceX launches 60 Starlink satellites

SpaceX has taken a giant leap towards making global Internet coverage a reality as its fifth Falcon 9 rocket of the year took flight, sending 60 Internet-beaming Starlink satellites into space.

Instagram says not source of contact info for influential users

Instagram has said it was not the source of private contact information for millions of influential users of the service recently found in an unguarded online database. The online cache of data, which was discovered by a security researcher, was written about Monday by news site TechCrunch, which reported that it was traced back to Mumbai-based social media marketing firm Chtrbox. "We take any allegation of data misuse seriously," an Instagram spokesperson said Thursday. "Following an initial investigation into the claims made in this story, we found that no private emails or phone numbers of Instagram users were accessed." The Chtrbox database contained publicly available information from an array of sources, one of which was Instagram, according to the image-centric social network. In response to an AFP inquiry, Chtrbox said a database for influencers was "inadvertently" exposed for about 72 hours but did not include any sensitive personal information. Information in the database ...

Facebook: Fake account removal doubles in 6 months to 3 billion

Facebook removed more than 3 billion fake accounts from October to March, twice as many as the previous six months, the company said Thursday. Nearly all of them were caught before they had a chance to become "active" users of the social network. In a new report, Facebook said it saw a "steep increase" in the creation of abusive, fake accounts. While most of these fake accounts were blocked "within minutes" of their creation, the use of computers to generate millions of accounts at a time meant not only that Facebook caught more of the fake accounts, but that more of them slipped through. As a result, the company estimates that 5% of its 2.4 billion monthly active users are fake accounts, or about 119 million. This is up from an estimated 3% to 4% in the previous six-month report. The increase shows the challenges Facebook faces in removing accounts created by computers to spread spam, fake news and other objectionable material. Even as Facebook's detection tools get better, so do the

NASA unveils schedule for 'Artemis' 2024 Moon mission

NASA on Thursday unveiled the calendar for the "Artemis" program that will return astronauts to the Moon for the first time in half a century, including eight scheduled launches and a mini-station in lunar orbit by 2024. The original lunar missions were named for Apollo -- Artemis was his twin sister in Greek mythology, and the goddess of hunting, wilderness and the Moon. Administrator Jim Bridenstine confirmed that Artemis 1 will be an uncrewed mission around the Moon planned for 2020. Next will come Artemis 2, which will orbit Earth's satellite with a crew around 2022; followed finally by Artemis 3 that will put astronauts on lunar soil in 2024, including the first woman. The three will be launched into space by the biggest rocket of all time, the Boeing-led Space Launch System (SLS), which is currently under development but has seen numerous delays and has been criticized in some quarters as a bloated jobs program. Affixed to its summit will be the Orion capsule, for which Lockheed

Breakup isn't the answer, Facebook's Zuckerberg says

Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg on Thursday rejected the idea of breaking up the social media giant as off-target, saying it could hamper the fight against deceit and harmful online content. The Facebook co-founder's defense of the leading social network came as it reported it recently disabled billions of bogus accounts set up by "bad actors" and that five percent of active accounts are likely fakes. Facebook and its family of apps including Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp face competition around the world from rivals such as Twitter, TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat and others in a "competitive and dynamic environment," Zuckerberg said. The company does not rule the digital advertising market, which is topped by Google, he noted. "I think arguments that we are in some sort of dominant position there might be a little stretched," Zuckerberg said on a conference call about its latest content policy enforcement report. "The question is, what problems are you trying to solve?" He argued that

LG adds Alexa to 2019 ThinQ AI TVs

LG announced that it will start rolling out Amazon's voice-based digital assistant Alexa to its 2019 TV models with ThinQ AI technology.The update will be implemented through the Alexa app on 2019 TVs including LG UHD TVs, NanoCell TVs and OLED TVs.With Alexa support, users will be able to ask compatible LG TVs can ask questions, control smart products, and access more than 90,000 Alexa skills, all without any separate device. The feature will be supported in 14 countries including France, Germany, India, Italy, United Kingdom and the United States.

Google Search gets a makeover

Google has overhauled the design of its Search pages to show results embedded with more helpful information for an easy and quick experience.With the new Google Search refreshed design on mobile, a website's branding will be more prominent with the icon appearing at the top of the results card, the official blog explained.When you search for a product or a service, the ad results will have a bold label on the top of the result card, alongside the web address to identify the source of information. The redesigned Google Search will be rolled out gradually and is coming first to mobile.

Github launches Sponsors to financially support open source developers

Github has announced a new tool that will allow you to sponsor open source developers through the platform.Anyone with a Github account can use the new tool, called Sponsors, to financially support a sponsored developer profile through a recurring monthly payment. As the blog explains, one can choose from multiple sponsorship tiers.Developers will be able to add the 'Sponsor Me' button on their GitHub repositories. Github Sponsors is currently in beta.

OnePlus 7 Pro becomes fastest selling ultra premium Smartphone on Amazon.in

Amazon India today announced that OnePlus 7 Pro has become the fastest selling ultra premium Smartphone on Amazon.in. It is the highest selling Smartphone above INR 45,000 in the first seven days of its launch.Presenting the most powerful technology ever developed by OnePlus, the OnePlus 7 Pro went on sale with Prime Early Access at 12 noon on May 16 followed by an open sale from midnight on May 17.The OnePlus 7 Pro is currently available in two variants - 6 + 128 GB priced at INR 48,999, 8 + 256 GB priced at INR 52,999 in Mirror Grey colour. OnePlus 7 Pro will be available in an all-new Nebula Blue colour in 8 + 256 GB priced at INR 52,999 and 12+256 GB at INR 57,999 from May 28, 2019 on Amazon.in."We are delighted to announce that OnePlus 7 Pro is now the fastest selling smartphone in the ultra premium category on Amazon.in. We are thrilled to witness such overwhelming response for the smartphone, especially during Prime Early Access on Amazon.in. This continued success validates ...

Scientists recreate 5,000-year-old Egyptian Pharaoh's beer

Scientists have recreated an ancient beer that was served during the reign of Egyptian Pharaohs over 5,000 years ago. In ancient times, beer was an important ingredient in people's daily diet. Great powers were attributed to beer in the ancient world, particularly for religious worship and healing properties. Researchers from Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI) in Israel examined the colonies of yeast that formed and settled in the nano-pores of pottery used to produce beer. They were able to resurrect this yeast to create a high-quality beer. Many cooks were invited to isolate the yeast specimens from the ancient debris and to create a beer with it. They were given shards of pottery that had been used as beer and mead (honey wine) jugs in ancient times -- and miraculously, still had yeast specimens stuck inside. Researchers said that these jars date back to the reign of Egyptian Pharaoh Narmer (roughly 3000 BCE), to Aramean King Hazael (800 BCE) and to Prophet Nehemiah (400 BCE) ...

Mass EVM tampering difficult to do: US expert

Mass rigging of India's EVMs is "very difficult" to do as these machines are offline that makes them standalone units, an eminent American expert has said as concerned raised by the Opposition over the possibility of their tampering. Ahead of the counting of votes in India, allegations were levelled by some parties that EVMs were being changed in the strong rooms in Bihar ad Uttar Pradesh. The Election Commission on Tuesday rejected reports of alleged EVM tampering and asserted that all machines used in the elections are absolutely safe in the strong rooms. "My impression looking at the serious studies is that it (Indian EVMs) is a pretty reliable technology. While no technology is perfect, but in the case of India, because these machines are offline, the only way of tampering with them is actually to physically tamper with the machine," Gelb told PTI in an interview. Gelb, who has mainly done studies on EVMs in neighbouring Pakistan and some African countries, said that his ...

Google revamps Search design for mobile users

Google has revamped Search with a redesign that would help mobile users better understand which information is coming from where and what are they looking for.

Soft, social robot may help teach math to kids

Scientists have developed a social robot that may help teach math to school children and can be customised with handcrafted materials, such as wood and wool. The team at Cornell University in the US envisioned robots built from warmer, homier materials that could be customised by their owners, so each would be unique. The robot dubbed Blossom is simple, expressive and inexpensive. It could be made from a kit and creatively outfitted with handcrafted materials. "We wanted to empower people to build their own robot, but without sacrificing how expressive it is," said Guy Hoffman, assistant professor at Cornell University. "Also, it's nice to have every robot be a little bit different. If you knit your robot, every family would have their own robot that would be unique to them," said Hoffman. Blossom's mechanical design is centred on a floating "head" platform using strings and cables for movement, making its gestures more flexible and organic than those of a robot composed of rigid ...

Apple pledges to alert users on iPhone performance

Apple has committed to be clearer and more upfront with iPhone users about battery health and performance, the UK's competition watchdog has said.

Huawei announces great deals and offers on premium smartphones on Amazon

Huawei Consumer Business Group, India today announced attractive deals and offers on its premium range of smartphones, which includes Huawei P30 Pro, Huawei P30 lite, Huawei Mate 20 Pro and Huawei Y9 between 22nd and 26th May 2019, on Huawei Week Sale - exclusively on Amazon India.With extraordinary looks and ground-breaking features, Huawei smartphones offer unparalleled consumer experience when it comes to performance and aesthetics. During the five days 'Huawei Week Sale' on Amazon India, the brand is offering an opportunity to grab its best-selling smartphones at never seen before prices. Other offers that are applicable during the Huawei Week Sale include instant discounts, No Cost EMI, exchange offers, etc.Huawei Y9 brings the ultimate entertainment experience with its 6.5" screen and 3D curved design. The sleek and elegant make of Y9 makes it an incredible 'Entry level flagship'. A 4000mAh big battery and the high-performance 12nm Kirin 710 chipset of Huawei Y9 provides ...

Chinese man guilty of defrauding Apple out of 1,500 iPhones

Over the span of two years, a Chinese national in Oregon sent devices that looked like iPhones to Apple, saying they wouldn't turn on and should be replaced under warranty. He didn't just submit a couple of the devices -- he delivered in person or shipped to Apple around 3,000 of them. Apple responded by sending almost 1,500 replacement iPhones, each with an approximate resale value of USD600. But the devices that Quan Jiang sent Apple were fake. Jiang, 30, a former engineering student at a community college in Albany, Oregon, pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday to trafficking in counterfeit goods, the US Attorney's office in Portland announced. The presence of fake iPhones and other high-tech gadgets has become an issue in global resale markets, with some counterfeit versions operating so well it's hard for users to tell the difference between them and the genuine products. But in the Oregon case, the makers of the thousands of fake phones apparently didn't even have to bother .

This is how Amazon is using video games to make warehouse work less arduous

The working conditions at Amazon's warehouses are infamous for their borderline inhuman productivity goals. However, to keep things interesting, or probably to push competition, the e-commerce giant is taking the help of video games.According to Washington Post, Amazon warehouse workers race to fill customer orders and their progress are registered in a video game format, in return for goodies and points. This format is aimed at reducing the stress associated with a physically demanding job.These games are optional for the pickers and Stowers at Amazon warehouses. Amazon said that it doesn't penalise for non-participation. Nonetheless, the company tracks its workers closely for speed and efficiency.

Google brings Dark Mode to Calendar

Google has extended Dark Mode to its Google Calendar and Keep apps on Android.As announced on the official blog, the popular Dark Mode can be enabled through Settings in Calendar and Keep app. However, the apps need to be in their latest version to support the feature.The popular Dark Mode switches an app interface to the black theme which is easy on the eyes and consumes lesser battery. The feature will be made available through a gradual rollout starting this week.

Apple to provide free repairs for MacBook Pro with faulty displays

Apple has announced that it will provide free repairs for a 'small percentage' of its 13-inch MacBook Pro with faulty displays.On its official support page, Apple admitted that some MacBook Pro models sold between October 2016 and February 2018 exhibited issues including patchy bright areas on the screen.Apple is promising to fix the affected MacBook Pro units free of charge. The models eligible for free repair include the 13-inch MacBook Pro 2016 model with four/two Thunderbolt 3 Ports. Those who have already paid for the repair will get be refunded.

British Council releases DARA chatbot for creative professionals

British Council has launched India's first chatbot for creative professionals, called DARA.DARA, developed in partnership with Jaaga and Microsoft Research India, is a digital assistant to help emerging Indian creative professionals collaborate with international peers for their ongoing projects.DARA does not only connect people with shared interests in the creative global community but also employs a modified personality test to match people based on their disposition. The digital assistant is currently hosted on its official website - dara.network and through a dedicated Facebook page.