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Committed to fostering innovation in India: Microsoft

An automated traffic navigation system, a crowdsourced risk analysis platform to curb depression and a smart video player that understands a user's preference were among the student-led projects showcased here at an event hosted by Microsoft that reiterated its commitment to fostering innovation in India.

NASA spacecraft provides new evidence of water plumes on Europa

Scientists re-examining data from an old NASA spacecraft have found evidence that the liquid water reservoir under the surface of Jupiter's moon Europa are venting plumes above its icy shell. Data collected by NASA's Galileo spacecraft in 1997 was put through new and advanced computer model to untangle a mystery - a brief, localised bend in the magnetic field - that had gone unexplained until now. Previous ultraviolet images from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope in 2012 suggested the presence of plumes. However, the new analysis published in the journal Nature Astronomy, used data collected much closer to the source and is considered strong, corroborating support for plumes. "There now seem to be too many lines of evidence to dismiss plumes at Europa," said Robert Pappalardo, Europa Clipper project scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in the US. "This result makes the plumes seem to be much more real and, for me, is a tipping point. These are no longer uncertain blips on

Kaspersky to transfer infrastructure out of Russia

Russian anti-virus software firm Kaspersky Lab, which is suspected by US authorities of helping the Kremlin's espionage efforts, said today it was moving its core infrastructure and operations to Switzerland. The transfer "includes customer data storage and processing for most regions, as well as software assembly, including threat detection updates," said Kaspersky, whose software protects some 400 million computers worldwide. "To ensure full transparency and integrity, Kaspersky Lab is arranging for this activity to be supervised by an independent third party, also based in Switzerland," it added. The move follows controversy in the United States last year when the federal government removed Kaspersky from its list of approved vendors, weeks after senior US intelligence agency and law enforcement officials expressed concerns about the safety of its software. US government workers were ordered to stop using Kaspersky anti-virus software. Kaspersky denied that its products had ...

Smart wristbands, rings allow users to type with gestures

Scientists have developed smart rings and wristbands that can allow users to type on mobile devices using hand gestures. Using acoustic chirps emitted from a ring and received by a wristband the system is able to recognize 22 different micro finger gestures that could be programmed to various commands - including a T9 keyboard interface, a set of numbers, or application commands like playing or stopping music. The system can accuratly recognise hand poses using the 12 bones of the fingers and digits '1' through '10' in American Sign Language (ASL). "A wearable is always on you, so you should have the ability to interact through that wearable at any time in an appropriate and discreet fashion. When we're talking, I can still make some quick reply that doesn't interrupt our interaction," said Cheng Zhang, PhD student at Georgia Tech. The system is also a preliminary step to being able to recognise ASL as a translator in the future, Zhang said. Other techniques utilise cameras to ...

5 Indian partners win AWS '2018 APN Excellence Awards'

Amazon Internet Services Pvt Ltd (AISPL), an Amazon company, on Tuesday announced five Indian partners as winners who helped customers drive innovation and build solutions on Amazon Web Services (AWS) Cloud.

Facebook personality quiz exposed data on over 3 million users: Report

There appears to be no end to Facebook's privacy-related woes. A personality quiz app created by researchers has come under scanner for allegedly exposing data of over 3 million Facebook users.The app called 'myPersonality' has been created by researchers at the University of Cambridge. The quiz was completed by over 6 million people, some of whom opted to share Facebook profile data with the researchers, Mashable reported.While this data was supposed to be restricted to approved groups, it was reportedly made available to select group of researchers outside of Cambridge as well. The login credentials for the website where the data was stored was available on GitHub for four years for anyone to download.Facebook has since suspended the app. However, the incident is another reminder of the mega Cambridge Analytica scandal which brought infamy to the popular social networking platform.

Google Drive gets new storage plans, reduced prices

Google wants you to go beyond the default 15GB free storage. The company has launched new set of plans nicknamed Google One which offer you more storage.Google One comes with a new family sharing option. Similar to iCloud, it allows you to share a plan with up to six family members, each having their own private storage areas, Engadget reported.There's also a one-tap access to experts feature for Google Drive and other services.Importantly, Google Drive is now available in new storage plans and revised rates. A new 200GB plan is available at USD 3 per month.Cost of the 2TB plan is now reduced at USD 10 per month. Other plans remain the same, starting from 100GB for USD 2 per month and going all the way up to 30TB at USD 300 per month.

What is at stake in Samsung vs Apple patent retrial

Two of the world's biggest smartphone makers -- Samsung and Apple -- have resumed a seven-year-old patent infringement dispute in the US.

Smartphone speed, performance critical for leaders of tomorrow: CMR

CyberMedia Research (CMR) today released their latest research report, Mobility@Work, capturing the perspectives of tomorrow's leaders, especially millennials and other technology professionals around mobility at the workplace.As per the study findings, the key considerations from a Smartphone include agility, capacity, security, and privacy.For the leaders of tomorrow, work is life, and they take pride in ensuring the strategic direction of their enterprise. They have an undying desire to be always connected, and to scale new heights. Given their zeal for excellence, it is not surprising that their quest for speed and performance extends to their smartphones. For them, it's not just a device; it's an essential tool for getting things done."The Leaders of Tomorrow are passionate entrepreneurs who work in open office environment. Such an environment calls for greater and closer collaboration through devices, including Smartphones. In the hands of tomorrow's leaders, the Smartphone ...

'Google One' to help users with low-cost data storage in Cloud

Revamping its Google Drive online storage subscription plans, the tech giant has announced to roll out a new, low-cost storage plan called "Google One".

Facebook suspends 200 apps over data misuse

Facebook said it has suspended "around 200" apps on its platform as part of an investigation into misuse of private user data. The investigation was launched after revelations that political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica hijacked data on some 87 million Facebook users as it worked on Donald Trump's 2016 campaign. "The investigation process is in full swing," said an online statement from Facebook product partnerships vice president Ime Archibong. "We have large teams of internal and external experts working hard to investigate these apps as quickly as possible. To date thousands of apps have been investigated and around 200 have been suspended -- pending a thorough investigation into whether they did in fact misuse any data." Archibong added that "where we find evidence that these or other apps did misuse data, we will ban them and notify people via this website." The revelations over Cambridge Analytica have prompted investigations on both sides of the Atlantic and led Facebook

China's Didi approved to test autonomous vehicle in California

China's drive-sharing company Didi Chuxing Technology Co. was approved by California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to test its self-driving vehicles.

Unfavourable wind direction delayed Pokhran tests by over 6 hours, recalls DRDO scientist

Unfavourable wind direction delayed the Pokhran nuclear tests by over six hours on May 11, 1998, a senior Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) scientist said today. The decision to defer the tests for a few hours was taken considering the winds might carry the radiation to inhabited lands or Pakistan. "The original plan was to detonate all the three devices at 9 am but unfavourable wind direction delayed the whole event. "And according to the protocols of international conventions, the wind direction should not be towards other countries or inhabited areas. All waited for almost six hours for the wind direction to change," said Manjit Singh, who was part of the team that conducted the tests, at a DRDO event. The scientist recalled how the team did not want to wait in the control room of the tests anticipating that it would collapse due to the tremors caused by the explosion. After the Pokhran tests, India had declared it had crossed the nuclear threshhold. Singh joined

Zero-touch could herald new era in service provider customer interaction: Ericsson

Ericsson Consumer & IndustryLab released its latest insight report on Monday; the Zero touch customer experience - exploring the future of customer interactions with mobile service providers.Today, smartphone users interact with operators across multiple touch points: from discovering offerings and signing up to services, to requesting support for ending a contract.The report highlights consumers' current frustrations at their interactions with their mobile service provider, taking on average 2.2 attempts and 4.1 days to successfully complete an interaction.This high customer effort impacts negatively on satisfaction levels.Digitally leading brands offer the minimal effort interaction consumers prefer.Smartphone users now expect the same hassle-free, one-click digital experience from operators.The report highlights that mobile service providers can leapfrog to a zero-touch customer experience future by harnessing the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and analytics:- Enabled by

NIN scientist accused of sexual harassment suspended

A senior scientist at the city-based National Institute of Nutrition has been placed under suspension following allegations that he "sexually harassed" a final-year woman student at the institute, a senior official said today. K Bhaskarachary (58), a scientist in the Food Chemistry Division, allegedly sent obscene and vulgar messages to the student's phone through a messaging app last month, the official said. The woman, a second-year MSc (Nutrition) student, is a Dalit. Last week she complained to the NIN director Dr Hemalatha R and after an internal inquiry and based on its recommendations, Bhaskarachary, a 'Grade-E' scientist, was placed under suspension, the official said. The official said no police complaint has been lodged in connection with the alleged incident. The NIN director has constituted a committee with external representatives to further probe the allegations. "Further inquiry is going on and the committee has been told to submit its report on a ...

This 'black box' chip in devices can frustrate hackers

In an era of Machine Learning (ML)-enabled hacking, in which Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology is trained to "learn" and model inputs and outputs, a new chip-based technology termed as a "black box" can thwart hackers' plans, say researchers.

AI could smoothen your interactions with mobile service providers

If you get frustrated at the very thought of connecting with your mobile service provider for the time it takes to complete an interaction, there is hope. A new Ericsson report on Monday said that Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation have the potential to solve such issues with minimal effort.

Facebook goes after apps that access its users' data, suspends 200

Facebook is auditing each and every app that has access to the data of its over 2 billion users and has already suspended 200 apps which failed to comply with its policies, the social media giant said on Monday.

Indian millennials craving for speed, performance in smartphones

Millennials in India look for speed and performance and are keen on investing in premium smartphones such as OnePlus, Samsung and Apple, a report said on Monday.

BSES to accept 'no supply' complaints via WhatsApp

Electricity distribution companies (discom) BSES Rajdhani Power Limited (BRPL) and BSES Yamuna Power Limited (BRPL) on Monday announced that their consumers can now register a "no supply" complaint through mobile messaging application "WhatsApp".