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New tech paves way for battery-free 'smart' toys
Squeaky rubber ducks may soon turn 'smart', say scientists who have found a way to harvest energy from physical vibrations to transform conventional kids' toys into battery-free, self-powered electronics. By age four, virtually every child has had contact with an electronic toy or mobile device, which often require frequent charging or battery changes. Researchers have explored alternative ways to produce and store energy for these devices without using batteries. One promising approach involves the use of triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs). TENGs gather electrical charges from friction, similar to the static that builds up on a balloon when it is rubbed against someone's head. TENGs amplify and convert this biomechanical energy into a usable form. However, ramping up these devices for commercial applications has been challenging, possibly because of low energy storage and conversion efficiencies. To address some of these issues, researchers at Jeju National University in South ...
Rajen Vagadia appointed Country Manager of Qualcomm India
US-based semiconductor and telecommunications equipment maker Qualcomm Incorporated on Thursday announced the appointment of Rajen Vagadia as the Country Manager of Qualcomm India.
NASA spacecraft discovers new magnetic process in space
Scientists have discovered a new type of magnetic event in our near-Earth environment, by using data provided by a NASA spacecraft. Magnetic reconnection is one of the most important processes in the space - filled with charged particles known as plasma - around Earth, said researchers at the University of California, Berkeley in the US. This fundamental process dissipates magnetic energy and propels charged particles, both of which contribute to a dynamic space weather system that scientists want to better understand, and even someday predict, as we do terrestrial weather. Reconnection occurs when crossed magnetic field lines snap, explosively flinging away nearby particles at high speeds. The new discovery, published in the journal Nature, found reconnection where it has never been seen before - in turbulent plasma. In the plasma universe, there are two important phenomena: magnetic reconnection and turbulence. This discovery bridges these two processes, said Tai Phan, a senior ...
Lenovo launches V-Series laptop for SMEs, startups in India
Chinese technology major Lenovo on Thursday launched a new V-series laptop "V330" for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and start-ups with prices starting from Rs 48,000.
Google acquires Velostrata to ease migration to Cloud
Google has entered into an agreement to acquire Velostrata, an Israel-based Cloud migration enterprise, to help companies shift workloads from data centres to Google Cloud Platform.
Google rolls out Assistant's new voices in US
A day after Google announced the addition of six new voices to its Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered Assistant, users in the US can now change the voices of their assistants, a media report said.
Human-sounding Google Assistant sparks ethics questions
The new Google digital assistant converses so naturally it may seem like a real person. The unveiling of the natural-sounding robo-assistant by the tech giant this week wowed some observers, but left others fretting over the ethics of how the human-seeming software might be used. Google chief Sundar Pichai played a recording of the Google Assistant independently calling a hair salon and a restaurant to make bookings -- interacting with staff who evidently didn't realise they were dealing with artificial intelligence software, rather than a real customer. Tell the Google Assistant to book a table for four at 6 pm, it tends to the phone call in a human-sounding voice complete with "speech disfluencies" such as "ums" and "uhs." "This is what people often do when they are gathering their thoughts," Google engineers Yaniv Leviathan and Yossi Matias said in a Duplex blog post. Google Assistant artificial intelligence enhanced with "Duplex" technology that let it engage like a real person on
Nations have right to frame digital standards based on requirement: Prasad
Law and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad today said that every country has the right to frame digital standards for its citizens based on its requirement. "Without compromising on norms of safety security and regulatory compliance, it is the sovereign right of a government to frame its own digital standard to promote digital platforms for its citizens. It is not necessary that the world will have a same model," Prasad said in response to a question around standards being framed for software products. Prasad, at an event last evening had cautioned software companies that norms or standards being worked out by the industry should not create monopolies in the market and instead facilitate digital inclusion and innovation. "Standards .. should be nuanced in a manner that the ability of standards should not become monopoly of few and exclusion of others. Why I am saying so, because open source of software was area of great debate even from international players too. On the garb of close ...
Users should not be forced to sign terms of consent on social media sites: Par panel
A parliamentary panel looking into the breach of data by Cambridge Analytica today asked the government to ensure that Indian users should not be forced to sign terms of consent on social media platforms. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology headed by BJP MP Anurag Thakur was briefed by the Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba and other senior officials on the subject of citizens' data security and privacy. "During the meeting, the panel members batted for greater freedom for Indian users against compulsory signing up of 'Terms of Consent' agreement. Members said there is an urgent need to simplify this, instead of forcing users to tick every box while installing an application," an MP, who atttended the meeting, said. In aftermath of the data breach by Cambridge Analytica, the members said the social media giants such as Facebook and Twitter should simplify their 'Terms of Use' and 'Privacy Policy' to make it transparent for the end user, the MP ...
Google suspends all ads related to Irish abortion referendum
Google is suspending all advertising connected to Ireland's abortion referendum as part of moves to protect "election integrity," the company announced today. The internet giant said that starting tomorrow, it would no longer display ads related to the May 25 vote on whether to repeal Ireland's constitutional ban on most abortions. Google said the move is part of its global efforts to protect election integrity, and it comes amid concerns about the role of online ads in swaying voters. The prohibition on ads connected to the Irish vote applies to both Google and YouTube, which the company owns. The online search leader, which is based in Mountain View, California, declined to say how much advertising revenue it was giving up because of the decision. Google's statement followed Facebook's decision Tuesday to ban foreign advertisements around the abortion referendum, which has drawn worries about the influence of North American groups. The role of online ads in elections is under ...
Ker Govt to provide free internet to 20 lakh poor families
Moving ahead with its ambitious programme to provide free internet to over 20 lakh poor families, the Kerala government today decided to set up a Joint Venture company to launch its new optic fibre pathway. A cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, accorded sanction to set up the Kerala Fibre Optic Network Limited, the Joint Venture, to implement the Kerala Fibre Optic Network (K-FON) project. The K-FON initiative is being implemented to provide speedy internet connectivity to government offices and educational institutions and also quality internet service to the public at an affordable rate. "With the project becoming a reality, over 20 lakh poor families will get free internet service while others will get it at an affordable rate,"an official statement said here. The cabinet also approved the Memorandum of Association and the Article of the Association of the new company, to be formed by the Kerala State IT Infrastructure Limited, the Kerala ...
HC gives Centre one week to give electronic access of children data to police
The Delhi High Court today gave a week's time to the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) to complete the process of giving electronic access to the Delhi Police on data concerning missing children. The ministry had asked for a month to complete the process. However, a bench of Justices S Muralidhar and I S Mehta, granted a week's time to the ministry and listed the matter for May 16. The MWCD, in the application filed through its secretary, sought extension of time by a month to undertake the entire exercise of transfer of data and said the time be granted "for providing arrangement/design module for enabling Delhi Police ZIPNET application to electronically search 'found children' data on the link from the www.trackthemissingchild.gov.in." The Central government standing counsel Anil Soni, appearing for the MWCD, informed the court that the ministry has shared with the Delhi Police data of 1,323 missing children and 933 found children from April 7 to May 3. The ministry ...
Scientists unravel jumping strategies of spiders
In a study that could lead to new generation of micro-robots inspired by mature, scientists have unlocked the secrets of how some predatory spiders catch their prey while hunting by successfully training one to jump different distances and heights for the first time.
Manufacturers' body welcomes Delhi govt steps to cap profit margins of hospitals on medical devices
The Association of Indian Medical Device Industry (AiMeD) today lauded the Delhi government for working on capping profit margins of hospitals on drugs and devices, saying this will help consumers access medical devices at reasonable prices. Based on recommendations of an expert panel, the Delhi government is likely to come out with a policy later this week to cap profit margins of city hospitals on drugs and devices, according to sources. "We applaud the steps taken by the Delhi government and the advisory given by the IMA to consider capping of profit margin to 50 per cent over the procurement cost of a hospital. This will result in consumers access to medical devices at prices below inflated MRP," said Rajiv Nath, Forum Coordinator of AiMeD. The nine-member panel, headed by Director-General of Health Services Kirti Bhushan, was set up by the Kejriwal government on December 13 last year. "We submitted the recommendations about two months ago and the new policy on capping of profit ..
'EternalBlue' still popular exploit among cybercriminals: Seqrite
With a detection count of over seven million in March 2018 globally, the leaked exploit developed by the US National Security Agency (NSA) "EternalBlue" will continue to be a popular threat actor for cybercriminals to infiltrate into systems and make financial gains this year, a new report said on Wednesday.
AIB, Niharika NM are YouTube's 'creators for change'
MostlySane, All India Bakchod (AIB), Niharika NM and Girliyapa from India have joined 48 other inspiring creators for YouTube's initiative. The global ambassadors will tackle hate and promote tolerance, with videos and stories of hope, connection and understanding.
China's Tencent signs broad cultural deal with Britain
LONDON (Reuters) - Chinese internet giant Tencent signed a trade deal with Britain to work with its cultural industries, deepening cooperation between the two countries and setting the stage for its own further international expansion.
BMW recalling 312,000 cars in Britain - BBC
LONDON (Reuters) - German automaker BMW is recalling 312,000 of its cars in Britain due to concerns that they could cut out completely while being driven, the BBC reported on Wednesday.
Bose Professional launches S1 Pro multi-position PA system in India
Audio equipment manufacturer Bose Professional on Wednesday launched ultra-portable Bose S1 Pro high-performance portable public address (PA) system for Rs 60,624 in India.
Intex launches Staari 10 smartphone on Snapdeal
Intex, India's leading handset manufacturer on Wednesday announced the launch of its first unbreakable smartphone, Staari 10.The phone will be available exclusively on Snapdeal. The phone promises to up the entertainment quotient of its users. It sports 5.2 inch HD IPS display for great visuals. The shatterproof glass makes it tumble friendly for ones who doze off while watching movies late night. The display comes with a one-year replacement warranty.Intex Staari 10 users can also take advantage of 13 MP rear camera and 5 MP front camera which also has flash. The 32 GB ROM which can expand up to another 128 GB makes sure there is enough space to store memorable moments.The phone is powered with Android 7.0 Nougat, 1.3 GHz Quad-core processor and 3GB RAM to make multitasking easier. The dual-SIM phone also has a one-touch access with fingerprint sensor.Currently, it is available in vibrant shades like Glossy Black, Champagne and Blue.Priced at Rs. 5999, the phone will be sold ...