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App to report poll info in real time

An app fixed in a device will be installed in 10 polling stations in Assam's Hailakandi district to report election related information on real time, an official said here Tuesday. Conceptualised by a scientist of the National Informatics Centre, Hailakandi, Monsoor Akhtar, the app named NICetr was based on 'Internet of Things' to provide information to prevent malpractices during election. "It is a homegrown solution uniquely developed by scientist Monsoor Akhtar. The app is the first of its kind in the entire nation. It will report malpractices such as attempts of rigging and booth capturing," District Election Officer Keerthi Jalli said. A device fitted with the app would use motion sensors to track time spent in the voting compartment and alerts the authorities if any voter spends too much time in the voting booth. It updates real time data without human intervention on percentage of voting and number of voters - polling station wise and constituency wise, Akhtar ...

European Parliament adopts copyright reform in blow to big tech

The European Parliament on Tuesday adopted controversial copyright reforms championed by news publishers and the media business, but punishing tech giants that lobbied against it. Despite an intense debate in parliament, MEPs meeting in Strasbourg ended up passing the draft law with 348 votes in favour, 274 against, and 36 abstentions. European lawmakers were sharply divided on the copyright issue, with both sides subjected to some of the most intense lobbying the EU has ever seen from tech giants, media firms, content creators and online freedom activists. Launched in 2016, the revamp to European copyright legislation was seen as urgently needed, not having been updated since 2001, before the birth of YouTube or Facebook. The reform was loudly backed by media companies and artists, who want to obtain a better return from web platforms that allow users to distribute their content. But it was strongly opposed by Silicon Valley, and especially Google that makes huge profits from the ...

Telegram now lets users delete entire chat history

Giving tough competition to WhatsApp that lets its users delete messages "for everyone" within a time limit, private instant messaging and voice over IP service Telegram has expanded its similar feature that allows users to unsend messages that come from either them or the person who sent the message, without any time limit.

OPPO Builds its Legacy as a Global Technology Innovator Through Several 'Firsts' Including 10X Hybrid Zoom

/ -- Exemplifying its commitment to innovation and adhering to its belief of constantly elevating user experience, OPPO, a leading global smartphone brand recently announced the 10x hybrid zoom technology, the first in the world to do so, along with industry leading developments in 5G technology at the Mobile World Congress 2019. Forging its own path, OPPO has continued its streak of innovation by introducing several 'firsts' in one of the most competitive consumer industries in the world. From the world's first periscope-style dual camera technology to the world's first motorized camera smartphone, the handset manufacturer has been in the vanguard of many first revolutionary technologies. OPPO has always been one of the pioneers in smartphone camera technology and it became the first brand to introduce the 5x Dual Camera Zoom at the Mobile World Congress 2017 by bringing 5x optical zoom to smartphones. Instead of having a system that protrudes from the back of the cameras, OPPO took

Facebook launches tools to boost election engagement

Social-networking site Facebook on Tuesday launched two new India-specific tools -- "Candidate Connect" and "Share You Voted" -- to boost civic engagement on its platform during the general elections that commence in April.

Desi content, easy pricing Apple's ticket to India

The new Apple TV+ video streaming service can make its mark in the crowded over-the-top (OTT) market in India only with original desi content, disrupting pricing and strategic alliances with industry stakeholders, emphasise experts.

Pulwama attack triggers dangers of virtual SIMs

As reports emerged of the suicide bomber behind the Pulwama attack in Jammu and Kashmir using virtual SIMs for communication with his handlers, the country woke up to the dangers of allowing these kinds of app-based communication services.

Experience short news, videos on the go with AI-powered Shortpedia

Shortpedia short news app is the latest entrant in the market where Inshorts is already present. With exclusive features, such as audio news on the go, trending video aggregation and AI-powered interface for parsing and summarising the news fast, Shortpedia is here to take on the short news industry.The company launched its short news app 'Shortpedia' in Ad-tech New Delhi, India's marketing and media event, where marketing, technology and media communities come together to share trends, insights and disruptive technology that's shaping the digital economy.Innovative features of Shortpedia App include:Competitor comparisonShortpedia provides an engaging summary of news in 70 words, an internationally acclaimed word limit. It provides news in an audio format and also aggregates trending videos from social media. The OS platform of the app is also available for desktop, other than Android and iOS. Moreover, the app keeps the readers engaged with daily quotes and weather and pollution ...

HTC Vive Focus Plus headset arrives mid-April

Taiwanese consumer electronics company HTC will start selling its enterprise-targeted Vive Focus Plus standalone virtual reality (VR) headset for $799 from April 15.

China ex-internet czar sentenced to 14 years for corruption

China's former internet censor, who once held high-profile meetings with industry leaders such as Apple CEO Tim Cook and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, has been sentenced to 14 years in prison on corruption charges. The Intermediate People's Court in the eastern city of Ningbo said Lu Wei had confessed to accepting 32 million yuan ($4.6 million) in bribes, expressed remorse and would not appeal his sentence. Lu helped lead the ruling Communist Party's tightening of control over domestic cyberspace and championed Beijing's position that governments have a right to filter and censor their countries' internet. China has 700 million people online, but heavily censors content, especially that of a political nature, along with sites related to gambling and pornography. Social media sites such as Facebook and Google are also blocked.

Asus pushed malware on thousands of computers: Kaspersky

Taiwanese laptop maker Asus unknowingly pushed malware to thousands of computers after one of its servers was hacked last year, potentially affecting more than one million people, Russian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab said. More than 57,000 people installed the malicious backdoor on their Asus computers after hackers attacked a server for the company's live software update tool, Kaspersky said in an article posted on its website on Monday. "The trojanised utility was signed with a legitimate certificate and was hosted on the official Asus server dedicated to updates, and that allowed it to stay undetected for a long time," the firm said. "We are not able to calculate the total count of affected users based only on our data; however, we estimate that the real scale of the problem is much bigger and is possibly affecting over a million users worldwide," it added. The Moscow-based firm said that its ongoing investigation found that hackers had deployed the same techniques against ...

Samsung to launch Galaxy Fold in Europe in May

Samsung Electronics Co said on Tuesday that it plans to release its first foldable smartphone, the Galaxy Fold, in Europe in early May.

McDonald's to embrace ML in tech deal worth $300 mn

US-based fast food chain giant McDonald's has announced plans to acquire a start-up named Dynamic Yield for $300 million as it steps up to embrace Machine Learning (ML) in a super-sized way, the media reported.

Social media main news source for young Indians

Online news generally and social media specifically have outpaced print as the main source of news among English-speaking young Indian news users, showed a new report.

Apple's news subscription service a mixed bag for publishers

Apple is launching what some have called a "Netflix for news" a $10-a-month subscription service that offers access to hundreds of magazines and a handful of newspapers. But most major US news publishers aren't participating. Readers get access to articles from over 300 magazines, a smattering of digital sites and some newspapers. Human editors will select stories for the app, and Apple says it will protect peoples' privacy. Many big-name magazines are on board, hoping Apple brings them new paid readers. But Apple's large cut of revenue reportedly a 50-50 split and the loss of a direct relationship with readers may not be appealing to many media companies, especially those that are successfully expanding their own digital readership.

Microsoft tells tech firms to act fast on terror

Microsoft President Brad Smith has asked social media platforms to learn and act more in the wake of the March 15 Christchurch shootings that was livestreamed on Facebook.

Google letting Android users create events on Maps

Google is letting Android users create public events on Maps through the app's existing Contribute section, allowing them to set name, location, date and time of the event along with tags and images.

PIIPL Announces Offer on .Shiksha Domain Names

/ -- Pan India Internet Pvt. Ltd. (PIIPL) today announced a special offer for .Shiksha domain names, under its India Education Network (IEN) - India's largest network of nearly 500 educational websites, at a very low price of Rs.411/- only for the 1st year. PIIPL, in partnership with Afilias Inc. USA has launched this unique offer, through a dedicated domain name booking website, www.website.shiksha, for a period up to 30th June 2019. Announcing the offer, CEO of Pan India Internet Private Limited (PIIPL), Mr. Rajkumar Jalan, said, "Shiksha is the Indian synonym of the word education and thus a .Shiksha domain will be of a great value for the education industry of India. A large number of educational institutes and other services providers still do not have a website and the .Shiksha domain name offers them a great opportunity to have a website on their exclusive .Shiksha domain name." "Many large educational institutions who might already be having their website around other domains

Apple Card the first-ever credit card for iPhones

Entering the lucrative credit card business, Apple has introduced the Apple Card that is built into the Wallet app on iPhone, offering customers a familiar experience with Apple Pay and the ability to manage their card on their devices.

'Techoference' disrupting sleep, productivity: Study

Excessive use of mobile phones is making people lose sleep and become less productive, according to an Australian study that found a jump in 'technoference' over the past 13 years. Researchers from Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Australia surveyed 709 mobile phone users across Australia aged 18 to 83 in 2018, using questions replicated from a similar survey back in 2005. They then compared the findings and discovered significant increases in people blaming their phones for losing sleep, becoming less productive, taking more risks while driving and even getting more aches and pains. "When we talk about technoference we're referring to the everyday intrusions and interruptions that people experience due to mobile phones and their usage," said Oscar Oviedo-Trespalacios from QUT. "Our survey found technoference had increased among men and women, across all ages," said Oviedo-Trespalacios. "For example, self-reports relating to loss of sleep and productivity showed that ...