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Got a Tech Startup Plan ? Here's How to get Support From Google India

2018-12-26T08:33:00.002-08:00

If you have a technology startup plan to help India boost its Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) ecosystem then here is some good news from Google. The search-giant has opened applications for the second edition (or class-II) of its Launchpad Accelerator India chapter. This programme is only meant for Indian startups that are using AI or ML to solve for India’s needs. The last date for application is January 31, 2019.

With the second edition of Launchpad Accelerator, Google aims to and help Indian startups build scalable solutions. In the first batch, 10 startups made the cut and have started with their respective journeys.

Under the Launchpad Accelerator programme, startups, that are using AI or ML will undergo an intensive in-person mentorship boot-camp, followed by customised support for three months. The selected startups for class-II will be announced in February 2019, and the program will begin in March 2019. The shortlisted startups will attend the boot-camp in Bengaluru in March and there will be follow-up engagements over April and May to help address their specific challenges.

“In addition to the tailored one-to-one mentorship, some of the ways in which the first class benefited from the program include -- insights and support on advanced tech such as ML, in-depth Design Sprints for specifically identified challenges, guidance on focused tech projects, features on the Google Play store, networking opportunities and connects at industry events and platform,” said Google.

Each class will consist of up to 10 startups who will receive mentorship and support from the best of Google in AI/ML, Cloud, UX, Android, Web, Product Strategy and Marketing. Startups will also receive Google Cloud Credits from $20,000 - going up to $100,000 each.

Eligibility criteria for the program

>> Be a technology startup.

>>Be based in India.

>>Use advanced technology like AI/ML to Power the Solution.

" Our launchpad Acceleration Program bringing the best of our expertise and Platforms, tools and core strength including Machine learning and AI to help indian startup build scale and grow their offering Paul Ravindranath, Production manager of this Program."

Samsung's foldable smartphone could get 8GB RAM, dual cameras and a massive battery: Report

2018-12-16T02:40:00.001-08:00

The foldable phone from Samsung is also expected to feature the Snapdragon 855 chipset in some markets and Samsung's own Exynos 9820 in others

When Samsung unveiled its long-rumoured foldable phone last month, it barely gave out any details about the specs of the smartphone-tablet hybrid. The Galaxy F was seen camouflaged in a black cover under dimmed lights, protecting elements of its design and specs. Samsung did show off the phone’s Infinity Flex display design and said that the phone can be folded to fit inside a pocket. The company revealed that the display measures 7.3 inches with a 1536 x 2152p resolution and 4.2:3 aspect ratio in an unfolded state. When it folds in half to reveal a second display, called “cover display”, it functions as a 4.58-inch phone with a resolution of 840 x 1960 pixels and an aspect ratio of 21:9.

Now, a new report adds to the spec sheet of the Galaxy F. Dutch bloge LetsGoDigital, citing a report from Korean research agency CGS-CIMB, claims that the Galaxy F, which is also being dubbed as the Galaxy Fold, will probably be powered by the Exynos 9820/Snapdragon 855 processor with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. Other storage variants are also expected by the publication. Besides this, the report claims that the Galaxy Fold will also get a massive battery, somewhere between 5,000 - 6,000mAh. The report says that there will be two batteries on the phone, one for each half of the chassis, and the suggested battery size combines the capacity of both batteries. The handset is also expected to feature a dual 12MP primary camera setup paired with an 8MP front-facing selfie camera.

Apart from the specs of the Galaxy Fold, the report also sheds light on the future of the foldable smartphone market. Citing research from CGS-CIMB, the report claims that global foldable smartphone sales volume will rise from 4m units in 2019 to 39m in 2022. Samsung is expected to make 1 million units of the Galaxy F and there are several other smartphone OEMs exploring foldable phones as well. In fact, the Galaxy F was not the first foldable phone to hit the market. A few days before Samsung unveiled its Galaxy F, a Chinese smartphone-maker Royole launched the FlexPai, a phablet with a 7.8-inch foldable display.

CGS-CIMB’s research indicates that foldable smartphones are expected to share in global smartphone revenue up from 1.3% in 2019 to 9.2% in 2022. While Samsung’s Galaxy F could cost around $2500, the research predicts that average retail price of foldable smartphone will decline from $1700 in 2019 to $1300 in 2022. The Bill of Materials to manufacture the Galaxy Fold is pegged at $636, but this does not include research and development costs, which could be the reason for the $2000+ expected price tag of the phone.

MakerBot’s new 3D printer shows how much it’s changed in nine years

2018-12-11T07:32:00.000-08:00

MakerBot is announcing a new printer that’s more polished (and more expensive) than most of its earlier products. Known as the MakerBot Method, the printer is supposed to bridge the gap between its parent company’s expensive industrial machines, which can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, and the cheaper desktop printers that MakerBot is known for. The Method could take MakerBot closer than ever to the click-and-print dream of 3D printing — while drawing it further than ever from the DIY style of its early years.

MakerBot has been working for a long time to find its niche. The 3D printing company released its first product in 2009, promoting big ideas about putting a printer in every living room. In 2013, it was acquired by major high-end printing company Stratasys. But the average person didn’t really need a 3D printer. So over the past several years, MakerBot has refocused on professional designers and schools, shrinking significantly in the process.

For that price, MakerBot is touting hardware and software changes that make printing more precise and reliable, without requiring a lot of tinkering or the funds for a full-scale industrial printer. CEO Nadav Goshen compares the printer to professional computer-aided design software: it’s meant to be a tool that serves its purpose and gets out of the way. “There are millions of engineers that are developing products that are now limited by the tools they have,” he laments. In the same way that software lets designers painlessly visualize 3D objects, the Method is supposed to let designers touch them.

The Method is slicker than earlier MakerBot printers. Its moving parts are neatly hidden, and prints are locked behind transparent doors, instead of sitting in an open frame. Below the printing area, two neat pop-out drawers hold spools of printing plastic. It’s a dramatic contrast to MakerBot’s first printers, which were open-source wooden kits inspired by the lo-fi RepRap project.

Ironically, MakerBot made much bolder claims about those kits. Its first CEO, Bre Pettis, described the early printers as part of an “Industrial Revolution 2,” where ordinary people would build their own alternatives to consumer goods. That revolution, of course, didn’t happen — at least, not in the way Pettis outlined. MakerBot’s printers produced small, fairly grainy plastic objects, and it abandoned the idealistic open-source model in 2012, angering parts of the 3D printing community.

MakerBot quickly started shifting away from home printing, where it was being undercut by cheap mass-market products. Pettis left the company in 2015, and at the end of 2016, Wiredofficially eulogized MakerBot as “the 3D printing revolution that wasn’t.” MakerBot has cut nearly three-quarters of its workforce since its peak; it’s currently employing around 160 people. It opened, then shuttered, a factory in Brooklyn’s Industry City complex. It also churned through two short-term CEOs before appointing Goshen in January of 2017.

Meanwhile, MakerBot’s cheaper competitors failed to create a serious home printer market. Several of them shut down or went bankrupt. And one of 3D printing’s headiest projects, the 3D-printed gun outfit Defense Distributed, got embroiled in a long legal battle. (It won the right to distribute firearm blueprints earlier this year — but then its founder Cody Wilson was charged with sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl, leaving its future uncertain.)

As many people have pointed out, however, 3D printing didn’t die. It moved into the kind of commercial spaces MakerBot is targeting, where it’s allowed companies to rapidly develop prototypes. These 3D printers can produce customized prosthetics, which can be especially helpful in areas without many medical resources.

Goshen says there’s “no clear use case” for a consumer 3D printer right now. This isn’t a totally new line for MakerBot, which was looking at other markets well before his tenure. But under Goshen, MakerBot has explicitly aimed all its products at two places where 3D printing has proven helpful: the hardware design world, where printers are good for rapid prototyping, and the education sector, where schools use them to teach science and technology skills. It’s showcased its hardware in MakerBot “innovation center” labs at universities, and it launched a certification program for teachers earlier this year, drawing “thousands” of participants.

MakerBot’s pitch for the Method — a reliable, easy-to-use printer that’s a step up from cheaper desktop machines — is basically the pitch for its earlier Replicators, too. But the Method incorporates features more commonly found in industrial printers, some of which are patented by Stratasys. It has a more rigid frame that lets the plastic extruder move faster without shaking the printer, and MakerBot claims it’s up to twice as fast as a desktop printer. Its build chamber is heated, so the entire print job cools at an even rate. Ideally, this means users can make tight-fitting machine parts without worrying about size variation.

Some of its most important capabilities aren’t new. MakerBot has been selling machines with multiple extruders since 2012, for instance — so one extruder can print an object with ordinary plastic filament, and another can lay down a support scaffold that dissolves in water. This lets users produce oddly shaped objects with high precision, and MakerBot says that a very experienced user could still get good results from a cheaper Replicator. But it promises the Method will let more casual users get those results with less effort, thanks to the high-end perks mentioned above, as well as other software and hardware improvements.

The Method mostly seems aimed at designers right now. Over time, however, some improvements could trickle down to its cheaper printer lineup — which could be particularly helpful for schools. “A lot of the first teachers that started using 3D printing, they were those early adopters and tinkerers,” says product marketing director Johan-Till Broer. “Once now 3D printing is going a little bit more mainstream at more schools, you need to be able to move beyond that.”

Oculus Go Review: Standalone VR Priced for the Masses

2018-12-11T07:04:00.000-08:00

Nearly seven months after its announcement back in October 2017, Oculus Go, the company’s first standalone VR headset, is finally here. The company’s thesis is that this affordably priced unit, which doesn’t rely on a docked smartphone, will make for a more seamless mobile VR experience. But does it go above and beyond Gear VR? Read on to find out.

As usual, we’ll start with a summary and then dig into the details below.

Launching today in 23 countries, Oculus Go is the company’s new take on mobile VR. Aimed for affordability and ease of use, the headset is priced at $200 for the 32GB model and $250 for the 64GB model. The headset shares the same Oculus content store and overall software experience as Gear VR.

Rather than relying on a docked smartphone like Gear VR, however, Go has everything built right in, meaning you don’t have to sacrifice your phone’s battery (or your ability to easily access texts, calls, and the like) just to scratch your VR itch.

Hardware wise, Go runs a less powerful chip than what you’d find on the latest Gear VR compatible phones, but Oculus says the standalone design means they can crank the performance higher thanks to better thermal performance, and a handful of other optimizations.

Oculus says you can expect two to two and a half hours of battery life while watching video, or one and a half to two hours of battery life while gaming. Anyone hoping to use Go as the ultimate personal media escape on long haul flights better pack an external battery. But be aware, Oculus doesn’t recommend charging the headset while using it, likely due to added heat buildup.

Compared to Gear VR, the Go uses a different type of lenses (Fresnel) and display technology (RGB-stripe LCD). The result is a slightly wider field of view, and generally improved overall clarity despite a few drawbacks. Unfortunately, few apps are optimized enough to truly take advantage of the lenses and display, leading many experiences to look and feel worse than the kind of gaming content you’d expect to find on a smartphone.

The headset comes with a spacer which increases the distance between the lenses and the user’s eyes to more comfortably fit glasses. There’s also clip-on brackets around the lenses which Oculus says will eventually be used for a prescription lens add-on.

The Go headset feels solid and well built, and is roughly the same weight as Gear VR. Thankfully Go includes stereo speakers hidden in the headstrap which offer decent enough audio to keep you from bothering with headphones in most cases. However a 3.5mm jack means you can plug in for more discrete listening and better audio quality any time you’d like.

The Go headset and controller offer 3DOF tracking (only rotation), which makes the headset best for seated use. Both have very little latency. The controller’s shape feels more refined than the Gear VR controller that came before it, but generally works the same—you’ll see it inside the headset where it will be used mostly for laser pointer-like interactions, as it is limited to 3DOF tracking.

A new companion app for Android and iOS devices helps to set up the Go headset, and also allows you to browse the Oculus content store and install apps without putting on the headset.

Working from the same library of apps as Gear VR—which has been around for a few years now—Oculus says Go has “more than 1,000” apps to choose from, but the number is a red herring—apps that look and play well are few and far between, and Oculus’ convoluted Home interface makes finding them a chore. There’s also a lot of traditional ‘flat’ and 360 media available, but the former doesn’t greatly benefit from being in a headset, and the latter has few truly compelling offerings which end up being spread out across various 360 content apps, many of which don’t offer pre-downloading for maximum quality.

With few standout apps, and an experience which isn’t appreciably different from what Gear VR has been offering now for several years, Oculus Go’s hardware and ease of use improvements feel like they would have been more alluring in VR’s early days—meanwhile in 2018, Go looks like a tough sell against other compelling portable entertainment devices like Nintendo Switch.

Google, Levi's Commuter X Jacquard Smart Jacket to Warn Users If They Leave Their Phone Behind Gadgets 360 Staff, 10 December 2018

2018-12-10T07:13:00.001-08:00

Google and Levi's Commuter X Jacquard smart jacket has gotten smarter as the former has introduced a new "Always Together" mode designed to prevent users from leaving their smartphone or jacket behind.

"'Always Together' is an automatic alert you can set up to trigger when the distance between your phone and jacket becomes too great.

"The alerts work both ways - you'll get a notification on your phone, and the jacket's tag will start illuminating and vibrating - so it's just as useful for remembering a forgotten phone as a forgotten jacket," Android Police reported on Friday.

When triggered, notifications happen on both ends; this means once a user's phone gets a notification, their jacket's signature sleeve tag will also blink and vibrate.

"Granted, it's probably way too late in the jacket's lifespan for this new feature to drive a lot of fresh sales, but it sure sounds like a useful trick for users who already have one in their closet. If you're among that contingent, you can give it a try after updating to the latest version of the Jacquard app," the report added. You can download the latest version of the Jacquard app from Google Play.

To recall, the Commuter X Jacquard was launched back in September last year, after being in development for over two years. The jacket was developed by Google's Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP) group.

Nokia 8.1 With 6.18-Inch HDR Display, Dual Rear Cameras Launched in India: Price, Specifications

2018-12-10T07:10:00.000-08:00

Nokia 8.1 was launched in India on Monday by brand licensee HMD Global. To recall, the smartphone was launched in Dubai last week, and is essentially the global variant of the Nokia X7 that was launched in China in October. The Nokia 8.1 has several highlight features, such as the HDR10 supporting display, the dual rear cameras complete with Zeiss optics, and the rather modern Snapdragon 710 SoC from Qualcomm. The smartphone is part of the Android One programme, which assures it of timely updates and an optimised stock interface - it runs Android 9.0 Pie out-of-the-box. Another major highlight feature of the Nokia 8.1 is the 18W fast charging support on its 3,500mAh battery.

Nokia 8.1 price in India, launch offers

The Nokia 8.1 price in India has been set at Rs. 26,999 for its sole 4GB RAM/ 64GB inbuilt storage variant, and it will be available in Blue/ Silver and Iron/ Steel colour variants. The smartphone will go on sale in from December 25 via top mobile retailers (including Big C, Croma, MyG, Reliance, and Sangeetha), Amazon India, and the Nokia.com/phones. Pre-bookings start via retailers and Nokia.com/phones from today, while Amazon India will have a Notify Me page.

HMD Global said Nokia 8.1 launch offers include up to 1TB of 4G data for Airtel prepaid subscribers on eligible plans starting from Rs. 199, up to 120GB of additional data for Airtel postpaid subscribers on eligible plans starting Rs. 499 alongside a 3-month Netflix subscription and a 1-year Amazon Prime subscription. Those who pre-book the smartphone or select the Notify Me option from Amazon India will get a 6-month screen replacement from Servify, while those buying the smartphone from offline retailers (with Pinelabs terminals) will get 10 percent cashback from HDFC Bank on credit and debit card EMI transactions.

Nokia 8.1 specifications

The dual-SIM (Nano) Nokia 8.1 runs stock Android 9 Pie, and as we mentioned, it is part of the Android One programme that is guaranteed to deliver timely updates. It sports a 6.18-inch full-HD+ (1080x2244 pixels) display with a 18.7:9 aspect ratio, 81.5 percent screen-to-body ratio, HDR10 support, 500 nits peak brightness, and is capable of a 96 percent colour gamut. The Nokia 8.1 is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 SoC clocked up to 2.2GHz, coupled with 4GB of LPDDR4x RAM.

The Nokia 8.1 bears a dual rear camera setup with Zeiss optics, with the primary 12-megapixel camera featuring a 1/2.55-inch sensor, 1.4-micron pixels, OIS, EIS, 2PD (dual photodiode) tech, and a dual-LED flash. The secondary 13-megapixel fixed-focus lens is meant for depth sensing. At the front, the Nokia 8.1 bears a 20-megapixel fixed focus lens with 0.9-micron pixels, and 4-in-1 pixel tech for better low-light photography. The company is touting its Bothie feature, which allows both the front and rear camera to used simultaneously, as well as its Pro Camera UI, with several manual camera options. The dual rear camera setup will help create portrait shots featuring a bokeh effect, the company said.

There is 64GB of inbuilt storage on the Nokia 8.1, expandable via microSD card (up to 400GB). Connectivity options include 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, VoWiFi, Bluetooth v5.0, GPS/ A-GPS, FM radio, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and USB Type-C port. The Nokia 8.1 bears an accelerometer, ambient light sensor, digital compass, gyroscope, and proximity sensor. It features a fingerprint sensor on the rear panel. It features a two-tone design, and is built out of 6000-Series aluminium that has diamond cut edges and has been through two anodising processes, the company claims.

The Nokia 8.1 runs on a 3,500mAh battery that is rated to deliver up to 22 hours of talk time, 24 days of standby time, and up to 11 hours of video playback. The company is also touting the presence of 18W fast charging. It measures 154.8x75.76x7.97mm, and weighs in at 178 grams. It features a single speaker design, and also comes with a smart amp, 2 mics, and Nokia Ozo surround capture. HMD Global also points out that the Nokia 8.1 has Google ARCore support.

Amazon Kicks Off Apple Sale With Discounts On 2018 MacBook Air, iPhone X, and More

2018-12-09T06:43:00.004-08:00

Amazon India has kicked off a week-only Apple Fest sale with deals and offers on a number of Apple products. The Amazon sale will run from until next Saturday, December 14. The seven-day Amazon sale will offer deals on Apple's smartphones, laptops, tablets, accessories, and more.

Amazon Apple sale offers

Amazon claims it is offering discounts worth up to Rs. 16,000 on iPhones along with no-cost EMI options. The iPhone X is available at Rs. 74,999 (MRP Rs. 79,999) along with a no-cost EMI option for up to 9 months on all major credit cards. This is similar to the deal we saw during festive season sales earlier this year. Similarly, the iPhone 6S is available at Rs. 24,999 (MRP Rs. 29,900) and the iPhone 6 at Rs. 21,999 (MRP Rs. 23,750). Both the phones are available with no-cost EMI options as well. Apart from these, the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and other iPhone models are also available with no-cost EMI options.

The recently launched MacBook Air (2018) is down to Rs. 1,05,900 (MRP Rs. 1,14,900). This is the first time Apple's latest MacBook Air has received a price drop in India since launch, even though it's a temporary drop. Bundled offers include an exchange offer with an instant discount worth up to Rs. 14,034 and a no-cost EMI payment option. The 2017 variant now the MacBook Air is also available at Rs. 57,990 (MRP Rs. 62,990) along with an exchange offer and a no-cost EMI payment option.

The sixth-generation Apple iPad 9.7-inch Wi-Fi is down to Rs. 23,999 (MRP Rs. 28,000) during the Apple Fest sale on Amazon. You can get an additional instant discount worth up to Rs. 9,960 using the bundled exchange offer. Amazon India has also listed the new Mac Mini models on its platform now, but currently, there are no deals or offers available on them.

The Beats EP (ML992ZM/A) on-ear headphones are also available as Lightning Deals on Amazon right now. The black and blue coloured variants are down to Rs. 5,799 (MRP Rs. 8,000).

Apple and Amazon had recently struck a deal under which Amazon will directly sell Apple products in a number of countries including India. Looking at listings of Apple products on Amazon India, it seems like the deal is starting to take effect in India as well.

Avengers 4 Trailer Drops: Iron Man's in Trouble, Hawkeye's Back

2018-12-09T06:37:00.000-08:00

Avengers 4 aka Avengers: Endgame's trailer has dropped and it's an exciting one too, if you care about the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) that is. The Avengers 4 trailer begins with a shot of Iron Man's broken helmet and Tony Stark starts recording a message on the helmet for Miss Potts. He asks her not to feel bad about the recording as he talks about the end of a journey — the end of the road for Iron Man.

He's adrift in space with no promise of rescue and says food and water ran out four days ago, with him marooned in a space craft and oxygen is due to run out the following morning. That part ends with Stark saying, “When I drift off, I will dream about you.” Avengers: Endgame is the sequel to Avengers: Infinity War, where Thanos destroys half of all the life in the universe.

The Avengers: Endgame trailer moves on to show Captain America in tears as Black Widow reiterates what Thanos did in Avengers: Infinity War. Black Widow says the Avengers have a plan to take on Thanos and that it will succeed. At the end of the trailer, we see Ant-Man making an appearance in his normal guy persona — Scott Lang. Captain America and Black Widow can't believe that he survived, and it's revealed that Avengers: Endgame aka Avengers 4 will release in April 2019.

Captain America, Iron Man, Black Widow, War Machine, and Hulk survived Avengers: Infinity War, and the Avengers 4 trailer shows Hawkeye for a brief moment, so apparently he survived too.

There's a lot to look forward to with Avengers: Endgame, so just sit back and relax and Disney and Marvel keep dropping new trailers and more information about this movie.

Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou Arrest Sparks China Fury

2018-12-06T07:42:00.000-08:00

China reacted furiously Thursday after a top executive and daughter of the founder of Chinese telecom giant Huawei was arrested in Canada following a US extradition request, threatening to rattle a trade war truce with the United States.

The detention of Meng Wanzhou, Huawei's chief financial officer, comes after American authorities reportedly launched an investigation into suspected Iran sanctions violations by Huawei, which was already under scrutiny by US intelligence officials who deemed the company a national security threat.

The arrest stirred tensions just as the United States and China agreed to a ceasefire in their trade spat while negotiators seek a deal within three months.

"We have made solemn representations to Canada and the US, demanding that both parties immediately clarify the reasons for the detention, and immediately release the detainee to protect the person's legal rights," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a regular press briefing in Beijing.

Meng was arrested in the western city of Vancouver on December 1, Canada's ministry of justice said in a statement on Wednesday, prompting China's embassy to say it had "seriously harmed the human rights of the victim".

The ministry said the US is seeking her extradition and she faces a bail hearing on Friday, adding it could not provide further details due to a publication ban that was sought by Meng, whose father, Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei, is a former Chinese People's Liberation Army engineer.

Huawei, which overtook Apple as the world's number two smartphone maker this year, said it was unaware of any wrongdoing by Meng and was provided "very little information" about the charges.

"Huawei complies with all applicable laws and regulations where it operates, including applicable export control and sanction laws and regulations of the UN, US and EU," the company said in a statement.

The Wall Street Journal reported in April that the US Department of Justice had opened an investigation into suspected violations of Iran sanctions by Huawei.

The New York Times said the company had been subpoenaed by the US Commerce and Treasury Departments over alleged violations of Iran and North Korea sanctions.

"China is working creatively to undermine our national security interests, and the United States and our allies can't sit on the sidelines," said US Senator Ben Sasse in a statement linking the arrest to US sanctions against Iran.

The arrest occurred on the same day that US President Donald Trump and Xi struck the trade war truce at a summit in Argentina.

Ye Tan, an independent Chinese economist, said Meng's arrest could be used as a "bargaining chip" in the trade talks.

"The talks will continue but it's going to be a lot more tense with higher stakes," Ye told AFP.

But Geng, the foreign ministry spokesman, said both countries will follow the agreement reached by Trump and Xi to "increase consultations, and work towards an earliest possible mutually beneficial agreement".

The commerce ministry said separately it will "immediately implement" measures reached under the trade truce, which includes agricultural products, energy and autos, and was "confident" a deal could be reached in the coming 90 days.

ZTE case

News of her detention rippled through Asian stock markets, with Shanghai and Hong Kong falling and tech firms among the worst hit.

Huawei is not the first Chinese telecoms equipment firm to face the ire of US authorities.

Earlier this year, the US imposed a seven-year ban on the sale of crucial US components to Chinese smartphone maker ZTE after finding it had failed to take action against staff who were responsible for violating trade sanctions against Iran and North Korea.

The ban nearly destroyed the Chinese tech company, forcing it to cease major operations in May.

A month later, Washington and Beijing reached a deal that would strike ZTE from the sanctions list - just days after China reportedly offered to ramp up purchases of American goods to reduce the trade imbalance with the US. American officials denied any connection between the two.

In exchange, ZTE agreed to pay a hefty $1 billion (roughly Rs. 7,000 crores) fine and put an additional $400 million in escrow in case of future violations. It was also ordered to replace its board of directors and retain outside monitors.

The case showed that China is highly dependent on imports of US-made semiconductors or computer chips and reinforced Beijing's need to become self-reliant on this key technology.

Espionage worries

Huawei is one of the world's largest telecommunications equipment and services providers.

But its US business has been tightly constrained by worries it could undermine American competitors and that its cellphones and networking equipment, used widely in other countries, could provide Beijing with avenues for espionage.

In May, the Pentagon said that devices from Huawei and ZTE posed an "unacceptable" security risk. Personnel on US military bases are banned from buying ZTE and Huawei equipment.

Over the summer, Australia barred Huawei from providing 5G technology for wireless networks in the country over espionage fears.

New Zealand followed suit in November, but said the issue was a technological one.

Britain's largest mobile provider BT announced Wednesday it was removing Huawei's telecommunications equipment from its 4G cellular network, after the MI6 foreign intelligence service chief singled out the company as a potential security risk

New Far Cry Game Teased for The Game Awards 2018

2018-12-06T07:36:00.005-08:00

It's been barely a year since Far Cry 5 but Ubisoft is teasing a new Far Cry game already. The open-world shooter franchise is usually known for its somewhat modern settings and dark humour appears to be going for a post-apocalyptic spin. A teaser video released by Ubisoft has a monologue about how humanity wasn't prepared for a nuclear war and is living with the consequences. It feels a bit like the Fallout series of games. Hopefully this would be less buggy. A full reveal is slated for The Game Awards 2018.

Considering that we've seen Far Cry 4 in November 2014, Far Cry Primal in February 2016, and Far Cry 5 in March 2018, it seems that we could get this new Far Cry game early next year. It makes us wonder if it's a stop gap title in between bigger, potential showings like the alleged Watch Dogs 3 or a firm release date for known titles like Beyond Good and Evil 2.

In our Far Cry 5 review, we noted that it is a welcome entry in a series that's been consistently entertaining over the years. The campaign is filled with memorable characters, robust progression, and action galore that all combine to make it a treat to play. How Ubisoft build on this for this new Far Cry game will be a point of interest along with how much of Far Cry 5's design it would borrow.

"What we try and do is we try and build action bubbles [note: action bubbles are open areas that give players total freedom to complete an objective as they see fit]. It's difficult. We don't know where the player is going to be, we don't know what they're going to be doing and we don't know what exactly they've done when they run into that situation," said Far Cry 5 Executive Producer and Creative Director Dan Hay in an interview with Gadgets 360 about Ubisoft's approach to Far Cry's design. "We try to create action bubbles where there are micro-stories in the world and that you can add up the concert of those micro-stories and build your own story."

"But it doesn't matter which order you do it in. The key moments that happen with a main antagonist, those moments come based off what a player does and how the player progresses through the world," he explains. "It's tricky, it's super hard to pull off. It creates a digital choose your own adventure but I think we're pretty proud of the results."

Google Releases Chrome 71, takes Aim at deceptive Websites

2018-12-06T07:24:00.001-08:00

San Francisco: Google has announced its newly-released Chrome 71, the latest version of its web browser, is now rolling out for Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems (OS), which aims to keep deceptive websites off.

The latest version of Google's browser was in the works over the past few months and has just left the beta programme.

"The Chrome team is delighted to announce the promotion of Chrome 71 to the stable channel for Windows, Mac and Linux. This will roll out over the coming days/weeks.

In the new version user would be warned when a site appears to be hiding the real costs and terms for the transaction.

With chrome 71 , experience on websites that fells under the Google definition of abusive would be filtered.

this includes web experience that are not just limit to ads, such as auto- redirection that happens without any action from the user like a warning notification that actually leads to an ad or any other website's landing page, According to the Verge.

Alleged Samsung Galaxy S10+ scores 325,076 points on AnTuTu

2018-11-28T08:47:00.002-08:00

A smartphone with model number SM-G975F, internal code name is "beyond2" and equipped with Exynos 9820 processor has been found listed on AnTuTu's website.

A smartphone, allegedly the Samsung Galaxy S10+, equipped with Exynos 9820 processor has scored 325,076 points on AnTuTu benchmark test. The smartphone has a model number model number SM-G975F and internal code name is “beyond2” two labels that have been linked with Samsung’s upcoming flagship devices. What’s more, a smartphone with SM-G975F model number has reportedly been certified in Russia. However, AnTuTu clears that the results may be of early engineering machine and the final scores of the may be different.

According to the details on AnTuTu website, the Samsung smartphone with model SM-G975F features uses a display that has a resolution of 2280x1080 pixels, equipped with Exynos 9820 processor which is complemented by a 6GB RAM and 128GB on-board storage, providing a front 10 million pixel camera, rear main camera is 12 million. It has a Mali-G76 GPU and runs on Android 9 Pie. AnTuTu notes that the display size of this smartphone is 6.4-inch, and when it comes to the camera, the front shooter has a 10MP sensor and the main rear camera has 12MP sensor.

Samsung unveiled its newest flagship-grade Exynos SoC, the Exynos 9820, that is likely to power the upcoming Galaxy S10 flagship from the company. The chipset features fourth-generation custom CPU cores as well as a 2Gbps LTE Advanced Pro Modem. It also comes with a Neural Processing Unit (NPU), and is manufactured using an 8nm LPP (Low Power Plus) FinFET process, which the company says can reduce power consumption by up to 10% as compared to 10nm LPP process. The Exynos 9820 features a tri-cluster architecture consisting of two custom cores for high performance, two Cortex A75 cores for ‘optimal performance’ and four Cortex A55 cores for efficiency.

Samsung says that the fourth generation custom cores used in the Exynos 9820 offers a 20 percent improvement in single-core performance and a 15 percent performance increase when compared to its predecessor. It also offers a 40 percent improvement in power efficiency. As noted above, the new chipset also comes with a Mali-G76 GPU, which Samsung claims can deliver a 40 percent performance boost or 35 percent power savings as compared to its predecessor. In terms of camera, the Exynos 9820 supports a 22MP sensors on the front and back, or a 16MP+16MP dual-camera setup. It is also able to support 8K recording at 30fps or 4K UHD recording at 150fps.

Asus ROG Gaming smartphone with 90hz refresh rate, 3D Vapour chamber cooling set to launch in India tomorrow

2018-11-28T08:43:00.002-08:00

The ROG phone from Asus set the trend in the industry for high-spec gaming smartphones. The device will launch in India at 12pm tomorrow. Here's how to join the livestream and all you need to know about the phone.

Asus will launch the ROG Gaming smartphone in India at 12pm tomorrow. The gaming-centric smartphone with Asus' signature ROG looks was frst unveiled at Computex 2018. It features a 6-inch AMOLED HDR display with a 90hz refresh rate and a contrast ratio of 10,000:1. The display is protected by Gorilla Glass 6.

The ROG phone will become the first smartphone dedicated to gaming in India as rivals like the Razer Phone and Xiaomi’s Black Shark are not available in the country. What you get with the ROG phone is a device that carries forward design aesthetics from Asus' ROG line-up of gaming laptops. There's an Aura-illuminated ROG logo at the back of the phone, giving it that traditional ROG look and feel. The device also features a 3D vapour-chamber cooling system called GameCool to keep its overclocked 2.96Ghz “speed-binned” Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset and Qualcomm Adreno 630 GPU, running smoothly through intense gaming sessions.

he Asus ROG phone will be unveiled in India at 12PM tomorrow and Asus will be livestreaming the launch of the device on its YouTube channel.

Google Set to 'Redesign' Sharing Menu on Android to Deliver Faster Experience

2018-11-12T06:55:00.001-08:00

Google is considering fixing the sharing menu on Android as a "priority", revealed Android Engineering VP Dave Burke. The executive also said that his team was working on a redesign to deliver a faster and nicer sharing experience to users. An improved sharing menu on Android has become the need of the hour as it started lagging following the arrival of new options to share. Also, even in Android Pie, the search giant hasn't provided any major fix towards the sharing menu.

"It's a priority, just a big job," Burke said while responding to Artem Russakovskii of Android Police on whether the team is fixing the sharing menu on Android. "We're working on a redesign with a different underlying data model (push vs pull) that will be much faster and nicer to use."

As Burke specified in his response, the Android team is changing the underlying data model to pushing data to the menu instead of having the menu pull that data once someone tries to share on a device. This reduces the time being consumed by pulling the data.

Burke hasn't mentioned that how the team will push the redesigned sharing menu to Android devices around the globe. It is, however, safe to presume that the new experience could be a part of the next Android Pie point release or one of the first beta builds of Android Q that could come sometime in the first quarter of next year.

At the Android Developer Summit last week, Google hinted at the arrival of Android Q for all developers earlier than expected by announcing the release of Generic System Image (GSI) for the general public. The new Android platform is also set to have a bunch of features dedicated to foldable smartphones, one of which will certainly come from a Samsung factory in the coming future. Furthermore, there will be a multi-resume feature to provide space for multiple apps to run simultaneously.

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Xiaomi Mi A2 Android Pie beta leaked

2018-11-11T07:13:00.000-08:00

The Android Pie beta for the Xiaomi Mi A2 has features like Adaptive Battery, renewed filled-in navigation buttons and navigation gestures.

Xiaomi launched the Mi A2 smartphone in August this year and it is the second offering from the chinese company that comes under Google’s Android One Programme.This means that the Mi Xiaomi A2 will get at least two OS updates and the first update in the line is the Android Pie update.

According to XDA Developers, the update is nearing release as the first beta update has been spotted online. The beta version has features such as Adaptive Battery, as well as renewed filled-in navigation buttons, with navigation gestures also available as an alternative.

The news comes a few weeks after Xiaomi Mi A1 - company’s first phone under Google’s Android One programme - was spotted on Geekbench running Android Pie 9.0. Given the reports and leaks, the Xiaomi Mi A2 could be become company’s third phone after Mi Mix 2S and Mi A1 to receive the latest Android OS update. XDA Developers says that the ROM is official, but since it’s a beta release, it could be filled with bugs. Users are advised to wait for an official rollout and those who don’t want to install the beta updates can wait further for a stable release. Also, if you are one of Xiaomi’s smartphone users, you may also want to check out this list to see whether your phone will get the Android Pie update or not.

Xiaomi Mi A2 specifications

Xiaomi launche d the Mi A2 in four colours in India - Gold, Lake Blue and Black and Rose Gold. The phone sports a 5.99-inch Full HD+ display with an aspect ratio of 18:9, and it is protected by a Corning Gorilla Glass 5. The Mi A2 is powered by an Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 chipset clocked at 2.2GHz. As mentioned above, since the phone has launched under Google’s Android One programme, customers will get unlimited high-quality photo storage on Google Cloud, as well as monthly security updates and at least two major OS software updates.

There is a fingerprint sensor and a vertically stacked dual-camera setup on the back. The dual-camera system on theMi A2 features a primary 12MP Sony IMX486 sensor having 1.25 micron pixels and a secondary 20MP Sony IMX376 sensor for portrait photography. Both the lenses have f/1.75 aperture. There is a 20MP front camera with a Sony IMX376 sensor and Xiaomi's Super Pixel Technology. The front shooter features AI-powered Symantec Segmentation for an enhanced bokeh effect and HDR for better quality photos.

OnePlus explains why there's no notification LED on the OnPlus 6T in an AMA

2018-11-04T03:52:00.003-08:00

The OnePlus 6T incorporates a bigger 6.41-inch display in the same dimensions as the OnePlus 6 by shrinking the size of the notch. While the OnePlus 6 had a rather wide notch on top of the panel, the OnePlus 6T (review) has the ‘drop notch’ that takes up lesser space, leaving more real estate for the status bar icons on top and even increases the screen-to-body ratio. However, a smaller notch also means space constraints. On the OnePlus 6T, the notch houses only the front camera and the proximity sensor. Because of space crunch, the LED notification light is no longer there. The phone also sacrificed the 3.5mm headphone jack to make space for a bigger battery and the in-display fingerprint sensor.

OnePlus recently held an AMA session on its community explaining the features the OnePlus 6T, and the ones it doesn’t. The LED notification, according to OnePlus, was removed because it was no longer needed. Users could simply lift up the phone or tap the display to see the notifications on the lockscreen itself. It’s an ambient feature that OnePlus calls ‘Lift up display’.

OnePlus also removed the ‘Always-on’ display because it caused more battery drain than the ambient feature. It came on OnePlus 6 phones out of the box but was later removed via a software update. The company is apparently still considering the “functional value vs power consumption” of the feature before

baking it in phones in the future.

Further, when asked about the lack of an IP rating, co-founder Carl Pei said the OnePlus 6T does have water resistance, but going for an IP certification would likely increase the price of the device. The OnePlus 6T, he said, is designed to survive accidental spills or a drop in a puddle, but it won’t survive activities like diving.

OnePlus also addressed that the T-mobile version of the OnePlus 6T in the United States will not have beta support and the updates too will roll out delayed as the phones require additional certification by the operator. OnePlus will also release a glass screen protector for the phone.

Samsung will use Qualcomm's third generation under-display ultrasonic fingerprint sensor in the Galaxy S10: Report

2018-11-04T03:49:00.003-08:00

If information circulating the internet is to be believed, then the Samsung Galaxy S10 could ditch its iris scan for Qualcomm’s under-display ultrasonic fingerprint sensor. The information comes from leakster Ice universe via twitter. Ice tweets, “Yes, the S10 cancels the iris sensor and the ultrasonic fingerprint is enough to replace it.” In another tweet Ice Universe says, “Compared to optical fingerprint sensors, the S10 ultrasonic fingerprint sensor is faster and has a larger recognition area, and 30% of the screens may be recognized.” The final tweet reads, “In 2019, at least half a year, S10's ultrasound and new screen technology are Samsung's exclusive.”

According to the leakster, the newfingerprint sensor on the S10 will be faster than currently available under-display fingerprint sensors. It will also cover a larger area – about 30% of the screen. This means that users will be able to unlock the phone from a larger surface area of the display. Ditching the iris sensor hints that the S10 may look to shave off some bezel from the top giving the device a higher screen to body ration. It also means that we may see more screen on the front of the smartphone.

As far as exclusivity of thefingerprint sensor on the Samsung device is concerned, this isn’t the first time the South Korean giant is looking to keep a feature to itself for some time. When Fortnite was launched for Android, it was a Samsung sxclusive. You can read more about the Fortnite exclusivity on Samsung devices here.

Samsung unveils its S series of smartphones at the beginning of the year around MWC. So, it is expected that the company will unveil thes10 family of devices at the beginning of 2019. Samsung usually kicks of the flagship trend for the year and we are looking forward to seeing what the company has in stored for us.

" The ultrasonic fingerprint sensor will have a larger recognition area on the screen and could be a Samsung exclusive for half of 2019 "

Shakti is India's first microprocessor designed and fabricated in India

2018-11-04T03:44:00.000-08:00

Shakti- India’s first microprocessor has been designed and booted by researchers at Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M). The researchers say that the chip can be used for mobile computing and other devices. The chip can be used in low-power wireless systems and networking systems. The researchers say that the chip can help reduce the reliance on imported chips in the communications and defence sector. The researchers also claim that the chip is on par with international standards.

Semi-Conductor Laboratory (SCL), Indian Space Research Organizations (ISRO) in Chandigarh fabricated the Shakti family of processors. This makes it the first 'RISC V Microprocessor' that is designed and manufactured in India completely.

"With the advent of Digital India, there are several applications that require customisable processor cores. The 180nm fabrication facility at SCL Chandigarh is crucial in getting these cores manufacturers within our Country," said Prof.Kamakoti Veezhinathan, Lead Researcher, Reconfigurable Intelligent Systems Engineering (RISE) Laboratory, Department of Computer Science and Engineering at IIT-M.

As far as use cases are concerned, the Shakti family of processors can work with various devices such as consumer electronic devices, mobile computing devices, embedded low-power wireless systems and networking systems, and more. The ability to design and manufacture chips is the next step in electronics manufacturing in India. In India, smartphone components such as processors, etc. are imported and assembled in India.

The initial batch of 300 chips, named RISECREEK was produced under Project Shakti, in July 2018. The chips were fabricated at the Multinational Chip Manufacturer Intel's facility at Oregon, USA. The chips were used to successfully boot the Linux operating system. Now, the fabrication has been done in India.

iOS11.4 update available for iPhone and iPad

2018-05-30T23:20:00.000-07:00

With just a few days for the iOS12 to be announced at the World Wide Developer Conference in San Jose, California, next week, Apple has released the iOS11.4 update. Available for iPhones and iPads, this new update brings in two big features - Airplay 2 and Messages on iCloud.

The update description reads out that the iOS11.4 includes AirPlay 2 multi-room audio, support for HomePod stereo pairs, and Messages in iCloud. This update also includes bug fixes and improvements.

Messages in iCloud will sync messages across Apple devices, which means deleting a message from one device will also delete it from others. Even the photos and other attachments in messages will be stored in iCloud, resulting in freeing up space on the device.

AirPlay is Apple's proprietary technology for streaming content from one device to another. The addition of AirPlay 2 with the iOS 11.4 would bring in multi-room audio support. This will allow users to sync up music playback and continue talking calls on multiple AirPlay 2-compatible speakers in different rooms, throughout the home. It will also work on Apple TV and can be controlled with iPhones and iPads.

You can check for the available download by hitting the 'Settings' app followed by 'general' and 'software update'. The iOS11.4 file for the iPhone X is of 306.5MB size and can be installed over the air.

Qualcomm’s XR1 is its first chip dedicated to augmented and virtual reality

2018-05-30T01:11:00.003-07:00

Qualcomm’s processors have ended up in plenty of AR and VR devices over the past couple years. But to date, none of those chips have been fully dedicated to augmented and virtual reality — they’ve just been repurposed phone processors.

That changes today with the introduction of the XR1, Qualcomm’s first chip made specifically for AR and VR devices. The chip is supposed to make it somewhat cheaper for companies to build entry-level versions of augmented and virtual reality gadgets, the first of which are expected to start appearing at the end of this year or in early 2019.

Though Qualcomm getting into the AR / VR chip game could be very exciting for the industry, this first chip isn’t all that thrilling on its own. Qualcomm says its current flagship phone processor, the Snapdragon 845, is still a better choice for AR and VR. The XR1 is built for simpler devices, meant more for videos and passive experiences than gaming.

Qualcomm describes XR1 gadgets as being made for “lean back and 360 viewing” of videos, rather than “room scale tracking,” and equipped with “simple controllers,” rather than hand-tracking abilities. That said, the chip is still supposed to be capable of supporting 4K displays at 60 fps, voice activation, and controllers that detect movement with six degrees of freedom.

Where this will really get interesting is if Qualcomm eventually decides to build higher-end chips in the XR line. By using dedicated hardware, it should be able to support more powerful VR- and AR-specific features than it could with a general purpose chip — similar to what it’s doing with camera chips. The XR1 starts it down that path, but Qualcomm seems to be taking a slower start to see if the market is really ready for all these mixed reality headsets.

Amazon Echo Recorded This Family's Conversation In Secret And Sent It To A Random Contact

2018-05-27T02:28:00.000-07:00

The point of smart speakers like Amazon Echo and Google Home is to listen to your commands and act right away, without you having to manually touch any controls. Unfortunately, sometimes that capability gets a few wires crossed and strange things happen.

A family in Portland, Oregon has claimed their Echo recorded a conversation in their home and then sent it to a random person on their contact list. They found out two weeks ago when the man, an employee of the husband, sent them the audio files saying he’d received them from their speaker.

The family says they’ve set up their entire home with Alexa-equipped devices to control the lights, heating, and security. When they realised what had happened, they unplugged everything and contacted Amazon.

“They said ‘our engineers went through your logs, and they saw exactly what you told us, they saw exactly what you said happened, and we're sorry.’ He apologized like 15 times in a matter of 30 minutes and he said we really appreciate you bringing this to our attention, this is something we need to fix!” the wife told local news.

Amazon, for its part, says it’s taking the incident very seriously to ensure it never happens again. What happened this time was that the Echo woke up because a word in the conversation sounded like the command phrase “Alexa”. Amazon, in a statement to Engadget, said Alexa then interpreted the phrase “send conversation”, at which point it asked out loud, “to whom?”

Supposedly something in the background conversation then sounded like a name on their contact list. Alexa then asked out loud “[contact name] right?” and probably then also interpreted an approval. “As unlikely as this string of events is, we are evaluating options to make this case even less likely,” Amazon said.

It’s a pretty scary mishap so it’s good that Amazon is taking it seriously. Perhaps a solution is simply making the Echo’s activation phrase a little longer or more unique. Either way though, it’s a clear indication of just how little control we can have when technology glitches out, and just how much damage it can do.

Next-Generation 7nm Chips Headed for Fall iPhones

2018-05-26T07:57:00.001-07:00

Apple has ramped up production of its new 7-nanometer processor for its upcoming crop of iPhones.

The new processor will be smaller, faster and more efficient than the 10nm processor in Apple's current iPhone line, Bloomberg reported Tuesday, citing people familiar with matter.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, one of Apple's partners, has begun mass production of the chip, which is expected to be called the "A12," according to the report.

TSMC earlier this year announced that it had begun producing 7nm chips, but it didn't reveal at that time for whom it was producing the silicon, Bloomberg noted.

It is very likely that Apple has began mass producing 7nm chips, said Charles King, principal analyst at Pund-IT.

"The move to 7nm silicon was one of the reasons Apple shifted an increasing amount of business to TSMC and away from Samsung," he told TechNewsWorld.

"Assuming that chip yields can support Apple's manufacturing needs, I expect we'll see iPhones with the new chips later this year," King added.

Leg Up on Competitors

If Apple should put the chips in the iPhones it's expected to release this fall, it would be one of the first phone makers to use them in a consumer device.

The move could give Apple a leg up on competitors Samsung and Qualcomm, who aren't ready to mass produce the chips yet.

Samsung Electronics plans to start mass producing 7nm chips next year, it announced Tuesday.

It's believed that Qualcomm, the world's largest producer of chips for mobile phones, is close to finalizing its designs incorporating the technology.

That means Apple could bring 7nm technology to consumers months before its rivals can do it.

"It's hard to judge right now, because Qualcomm hasn't announced anything yet, but I'd expect Apple's lead to be less than six months," Kevin Krewell, principal analyst at Tirias Research, told TechNewsWorld.

"Everyone is going to have these chips eventually," remarked Bob O'Donnell, chief analyst at Technalysis Research.

"Apple may have a slight timing advantage, but it will be very slight," he told TechNewsWorld.

Better Battery Life and Performance

Where 7nm technology will have the most impact will be at the high-end of the mobile market, Pund-IT's King noted.

"Few other vendors are likely to be much interested," he said.

Being early to market with the technology has another benefit for Apple: It can crow about the technical superiority of its iPhones.

"That's important to a sizable number of the company's customers," King maintained.

Consumers ought to see phones with longer battery life and better performance with the new chips. The chips also are smaller, so would be possible to make the phones smaller, although it's likely the additional space will be used for more hardware.

"The benefits consumers will see aren't likely to be earthshaking, but the new handsets should be incrementally better than previous-gen iPhones," King said.

Apple reportedly plans to launch at least three new phones in the fall: a larger version of the iPhone X; an update of the current iPhone X; and a smaller iPhone with some of the X's features but with a conventional LCD display.

Shrinking Atoms

Shrinking a processor's size has been the industry's answer to improving performance, but that's becoming more and more difficult to do.

"The problem we're facing now is that the size reductions we're getting are very modest," Technalysis' O'Donnell noted.

"We used to make big jumps in physical size," he continued. "Now the jumps are much, much smaller. You're down to changes that are a few atoms wide."

While Apple takes pride in the advances it makes in processor technology, consumers don't stand in line to buy a phone because it has the latest processor technology.

"I don't see the new chips driving significant numbers of new users and customers to Apple," said Pund-IT's King.

"Phones are about a lot more than just chips," O'Donnell said. "Chips are important -- but just a piece of the overall puzzle."

2018-05-25T08:15:00.001-07:00

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said today that he was rolling out the privacy controls demanded by European regulators to Facebook users worldwide because "everyone cares about privacy".

Speaking at the VivaTech trade fair in Paris a day before new European data protection rules come into force Zuckerberg said Europe's history had made its citizens particularly wary when it comes to data collection.

"There are specific points about history in Europe. If you're a German citizen and you grew up here you're worried about the Stasi (former East German secret police).

"That's more recent in your memory than what we have in the US or other folks around the world." But "everyone cares about privacy. That's not only here, that's a global thing," Zuckerberg said, confirming he would extend the protections demanded by the EU's General Data Protection Regulation- including on facial recognition - to Facebook's two billion users worldwide.

"We've been very clear that we'll roll out the same controls all around the world," he said, adding that "good regulation" would increase user trust in how tech giants use their data.

For weeks Facebook has been asking European users if they agree to be targeted by advertisers and allow Facebook to use a facial recognition tool on their photos and videos.

It will now put those questions to all its users.

"Starting this week, we're asking everyone on Facebook to review important information about privacy and how to control their experience," Erin Egan, the company's privacy manager said in a statement.

But while users in Europe must answer the questions to be able to access their accounts Facebook users in the rest of the world will be able to repeatedly skip the questionnaire.

Zuckerberg's remarks in Paris came two days after he apologised to European lawmakers for not doing enough to prevent the spread of fake news and the misuse of users' information.

Apple blocks game developer's streaming service

2018-05-25T08:02:00.001-07:00

San Francisco: US-based video game developer Valve's game streaming service "Steam Link" will not be part of Apple's iOS for now because of some "business conflicts with app guidelines", media reported.

"Steam Link functions as a remote desktop for users to access their 'Steam library of PC games' from mobile devices and streams them directly for touchscreen playor via a Bluetooth controller for users," The Verge reported on Thursday.

The speculation being made about the "business conflict" points to the fact that "Steam Link" would give iOS users the access to another app store, "Steam" within Apple's tightly controlled ecosystem and this could have created issues between the game developer and the iPhone-maker, the report added.

"Steam Link" was first announced for mobile in March and Valve launched the beta version of Steam Link on Android earlier this month.

"Valve says 'we hope Apple will reconsider in the future'," the report added.

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Microsoft's New Customizable Xbox Controller Helps Make Video Games Way More Accessible

2018-05-18T00:49:00.000-07:00

Folks who like video games but, for whatever reason, don't have an easy time holding or using a traditional console controller now have a new option, at least on the Xbox One. Microsoft has just announced its new "Adaptive Controller," designed to increase accessibility by functioning as a hub for a wide variety of alternative control devices.

The controller itself includes a D-Pad, pause and menu buttons, and two enormous A and B buttons, but also comes with a whole host of 3.5mm jacks on the back, each of which correspond to a button on a typical controller. This allows players to attach all manner of different physical mechanisms for firing those buttons, as suits their needs. Some examples Microsoft mentions include a mouth-controller for the quadriplegic, mechanisms that allow players to operate buttons with their feet or legs, and all manner of alternate joysticks or larger, more ergonomic buttons. The controller also comes with software that allows players to remap buttons and works with "copilot" mode, where two players with two controllers can act as if they were a single player, working together on the same controller.

There's a long history of custom controllers designed to make gaming more accessible from ingenious, hacked together solutions to hands-free controllers for the NES. But these solutions can often be expensive or labor-intensive. Microsoft's new controller will go on sale from the Microsoft store for $100, plus the cost of additional accessories, so it isn't exactly as cheap as a standard controller, but it should help set an accessibility standard and help more players find their own, custom setups that work best for them, without having to built it from scratch or pay a fortune. And more accessible gaming is only good for gamers everywhere.