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Google launches Android P Beta with consumer-centric OS updates
In a bid to make it easy for users to navigate and use smart ways to access functions on Android devices, Google on Tuesday unveiled a string of updates to its upcoming operating system (OS) Android P and launched its beta version.
Ensure software standards don't create monopolies: Prasad to IT cos
Law and IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad today 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 source I would not allow India to become monopoly of few," Prasad said. He was speaking at an event by CNBC-TV18 and The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) on standard for softwares. Earlier some of the global firms have attempted that software coding should be granted patents but the same had been opposed by various Indian companies and not-profit entities. "Standard must lay down standard of compliance, standard must lay down to facilitate operation, standard to ensure cost effective operation. .
WhatsApp's end-to-end encryption good for society: Facebook
A week after WhatsApp co-founder and CEO Jan Koum resigned due to "data privacy" concerns and weakening encryption, a Facebook executive has defended the instant messaging app's "end-to-end encryption" feature saying it helps people communicate securely and safely.
NetApp, Google partner to offer hybrid cloud data services
NetApp, the data authority for hybrid cloud, announced NetApp Cloud Volumes for Google Cloud Platform, thus providing a fully-managed, cloud-native file storage service that's integrated with the latter.This comes as part of a partnership that combines the reach of NetApp's data services with Google Cloud's leadership in application development, analytics and machine learning.In addition, NetApp has introduced a high performance, cloud-connected flash system to power artificial intelligence (AI) and compute-intensive applications, as well as innovative new software to ensure superior cloud-architected infrastructure for data retention compliance.Harnessing all the data required for effective AI applications is a challenge for traditional solutions. NetApp brings together leading public cloud data services and the most cloud-connected flash solutions, through the Data Fabric, to help customers automate and monetise their data assets."Companies are increasingly looking at using data and
NetApp unveils Data Visionary Engineering Center
NetApp, the data authority for hybrid cloud, unveiled a new Data Visionary Engineering Center (DVEC) here on Tuesday to empower Asia-Pacific (APAC) customers and partners to transform the world with data.Located within the NetApp Global Center of Excellence in the Bengaluru campus in Whitefield, the new APAC DVEC offers an interactive, high-touch experience to its customers and partners. Further extending NetApp's ability to support customers and partners embarking on digital transformation across Asia, the Bangalore DVEC joins three other DVC centers in Sunnyvale, California; Triangle Park, North Carolina; and the European headquarters in Amsterdam."Data-driven digital transformation accelerates business outcomes. The DVEC will offer clarity to customers and partners looking to learn more about industry trends, flash storage, hybrid cloud, and other data center IT technologies," said Anil Valluri, president, NetApp India and SAARC.The DVEC aims to bridge the gap between business and .
Cloud, AI-based opportunities for developers discussed at Microsoft Build 2018
A number of new opportunities for developers related to Cloud and AI on Microsoft Azure, Microsoft 365 and across any platform were discussed at the Microsoft Build 2018, the company's annual developer conference."The era of the intelligent cloud and intelligent edge is upon us. These advancements create incredible developer opportunity and also come with a responsibility to ensure the technology we build is trusted and benefits all," said Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft.As part of Microsoft's commitment to trusted, responsible AI products and practices, the company announced AI for Accessibility, a new USD 25 million, five-year program aimed at harnessing the power of AI to amplify human capabilities for more than one billion people around the world with disabilities. The program comprises grants, technology investments and expertise, and will also incorporate AI for Accessibility innovations into Microsoft Cloud services. It builds on the success of the similar AI for Earth ...
Bawankule named Google Cloud India country head
Google on Tuesday announced it has appointed Nitin Bawankule as the Country Head for Google Cloud India and will report to Rick Harshman, Managing Director, Asia Pacific, Google Cloud.
Twitter working on encrypted messaging feature: Report
As data security concerns on Facebook and WhatsApp loom large, Twitter is reportedly working on a 'Secret' encrypted messages feature which could make the microblogging platform safer for sensitive communications.
Sun to turn into planetary nebula when it dies: Astronomers
While scientists agree that the Sun will die in approximately 10 billion years, they were not sure what would happen next, until now. A new study now says that it will turn into a massive ring of bright, interstellar gas and dust, known as a planetary nebula.
Microsoft Cortana and Amazon Alexa make a team
Taking on Apple Siri and Google Assistant, Microsoft and Amazon have showcased the first-ever coming together of Cortana and Alexa - their two Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered assistants.
'Scientists train spider to jump on demand'
Scientists have successfully trained a spiders to jump different distances and heights for the first time, unlocking the secrets of how some predatory species catch their prey while hunting. The study by researchers at the University of Manchester in the UK is the most advanced of its kind to date and first to use three-dimensional (3D) CT scanning and high-speed, high-resolution cameras to record, monitor and analyse a spider's movement and behaviour. The aim of the research, published in the journal Nature Scientific Reports, is to answer the question of why jumping spider anatomy and behaviour evolved the way it did. This improved understanding of spiders will help imagine a new class of agile micro-robots that are currently unthinkable using today's engineering technologies, researchers said. "The focus of the present work is on the extraordinary jumping capability of these spiders," said Mostafa Nabawy, lead author of the study. "A jumping spider can leap up to six times its body
Hyderabad varsity students get patent for water purifying
A team of faculty and research scholars of the University of Hyderabad (UoH) has got a patent for having developed a water purifying agent. Scientists at the varsity developed nanometric silver particle-embedded polymer thin films with wide applications, including anti-bactericidal action, a press release from the varsity said. The team developed the simple and economically viable methodology for purifying drinking water, it said. The group had obtained the patent on April 26 from Patent Office, Government of India. Also, the agent can be used repeatedly, allowing simultaneously its monitoring using spectroscopy and microscopy, the release added.
How our Sun will die decoded
The Sun will turn into a massive ring of luminous, interstellar gas and dust, known as a planetary nebula, approximately 10 billion years from now, scientists say. A planetary nebula marks the end of 90 per cent of all stars active lives and traces the star's transition from a red giant to a degenerate white dwarf. However, for years, scientists were not sure if the Sun in our galaxy would follow the same fate: it was thought to have too low mass to create a visible planetary nebula. To find out the team developed a new stellar, data-model that predicts the lifecycle of stars. The model was used to predict the brightness (or luminosity) of the ejected envelope, for stars of different masses and ages. "When a star dies it ejects a mass of gas and dust - known as its envelope - into space. The envelope can be as much as half the star's mass," said Albert Zijlstra from the University of Manchester in the UK. This reveals the star's core, which by this point in the star's life is running .
CodeCostume - Techies' Apparel Aisle
With the advent of online businesses; apparels, electronic items, household products, are all available in plenty with the customer being spoilt for choices.There is no doubt that apparel e-commerce has reached its saturation point, but if one observes closely, then one notices certain dearth of appropriate content for target audiences like the tech people, entrepreneurs, teens and the aged, which is what CodeCostume targets!For Every Coder's Wardrobe - CodeCostumeCodeCostume was started to cater to this niche market and it targets mainly to the coders, Internet entrepreneurs and the designers. With its tagline 'Apparel for Tech', it has managed to grab the eye-balls of the selected audience, which was feeling the shortage of quality apparel. Prioritising quality of the products, they have premium cotton t-shirts, by which, they have cultivated a sense of trust with their customers. Their marketing and sales is purely online and the t-shirts are shipped worldwide.The Fruitful Journey .
'New chip sniffs out cocaine within minutes'
Scientists have developed a low-cost chemical sensing chip that could test people for cocaine as quickly as a breathalyser identifies alcohol. Such a technology has long been on the wish list of police officers and others looking to monitor drug use and curb dangerous driving, said researchers from the University at Buffalo in the US. The chip could be integrated into a hand-held, portable device for detecting drugs in biological samples such as blood, breath, urine or spit. "Currently, there is a great demand for on-site drug testing," said Qiaoqiang Gan, an associate professor in the University at Buffalo. "The high-performance chip we designed was able to detect cocaine within minutes in our experiments. It is also inexpensive: It can be produced using raw materials that cost around 10 cents, and the fabrication techniques we used are also low-cost," said Gan. "In the future, we are hoping to also use this technology to detect other drugs, including marijuana," he said. The new ...
Google to showcase AI advances at its big conference
Google is likely to again put artificial intelligence in the spotlight at its annual developers conference Thursday. The company's digital concierge, known only as the Google Assistant, could gain new abilities to handle tasks such as making restaurant reservations without human hand-holding. Google may also unveil updates to its Android mobile operating system, enable better AI-powered navigation suggestions in Google Maps, and push further into augmented reality technology, which overlays a view of the real world with digital images. The search giant aims to make its assistant so useful that people can't live without it or the search results that drive its advertising business. But it also wants to play up the social benefits of AI, and plans to showcase how it's being used to improve health care, preserve the environment and make scientific discoveries. Indian-born CEO Sundar Pichai probably won't emphasize privacy or data security concerns, which have put companies like Facebook,
3D-printed weapons may put global security at risk
The rapid growth of 3D printing technology could make weapons easily accessible to military adversaries, violent extremists and even street criminals, putting the global security at risk, researchers warn. Three-dimensional (3D) printing technology is also susceptible to hacking, which could allow sabotage by hackers who maliciously instruct 3D printers to introduce flawed instructions or algorithms into mission-critical parts of airplanes, they said. "Lone-wolf attacks may become more lethal when individuals have ready access to 3D printers," said Trevor Johnston, lead author and an associate political scientist at RAND Corporation, a US-based research organisation. "Even in countries like the US, where gun control laws have done little to restrict access to semi-automatic weapons, additive manufacturing could increase the risk of violence and murder," said Johnston. Additive manufacturing may also indirectly support the survival and rise of pariah states like North Korea, which ...
You can now set Alexa as default voice assistant on Android
Amazon's Alexa and Google Assistant may be rival digital assistants. However, it causes no harm to the user if one replaces the other on a given device.Until now, Google's own Assistant dominated the Android devices as the default voice. It was only replaceable by Microsoft's Cortana. However, it is now possible to set it to Amazon's Alexa as well, Cnet reported.To set Alexa as the default voice, you need to ensure that the updated Alexa app is installed on your device. From the phone's settings menu, go to 'Assist Apps', and change the default selection to Alexa.Although you can change the default voice assistant on Android devices, Alexa's functionality is limited. For instance, Alexa won't be able to show you maps or make calls.Setting Alexa as default voice assistant is currently seen supporting Google Pixel 2, OnePlus 5, Samsung Galaxy S9, among other newer Android devices.
Soon, pay bills within Outlook.com
Microsoft Build 2018, the annual developer conference from the tech giant, is underway, and, one of the crucial announcements to arrive from the event is the addition of payments to the prime email service Outlook.With the growing addition of payments feature to almost all the apps or web services we use, it makes for a wise decision for Microsoft to add the new feature to Outlook as it seeks to compete Google's Gmail.The new payments feature will essentially allow you to make payments for all the bills you receive in your Outlook inbox, without having to leave the email service. Microsoft is developing a framework that will use Microsoft Pay to handle bill and invoice payments directly inside Outlook, Engadget reported.The company will introduce the feature in phases with select Outlook.com users in the next few weeks, followed by a wider rollout.
Every iOS app update must support iPhone X notch: Apple
Apple is pretty serious about the future of its iPhone X. The company has announced that starting July 2018, all iOS app updates must be compatible with the notch-based iPhone X.Apple announced this on its developer page, calling on the app makers to ensure their apps are updated and built with the iOS 11 SDK, supporting the Super Retina display of iPhone X, Cnet reports.With all new iOS apps compatible with the iPhone X, it will result in a larger pool of apps which support the top notch on the smartphone.There have been reports about Apple considering to skip the notch in the future iPhones. However, the latest announcement appears to reiterate that the company is serious about retaining the notch design in its upcoming iPhones.