Tag: Technology

Tech This Week: Xplore Health launches respiratory muscle training device; Fujifilm India launches mirrorless digital camera and more

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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It was an exciting week in the world of tech as several companies launched new updates and products. After three security audits, ExpressVPN announced that it had validated the security posture of its macOS, Linux, and Windows desktop apps. On Monday, Fujifilm India launched its latest mirrorless digital camera, the Fujifilm X-H2. At the same time, Amazfit also launched new smart wearable, the Amazfit Band 7, in India.

Here’s a look at some of the top tech stories of this week.

ExpressVPN App Security Update

Web security service, ExpressVPN on Wednesday announced that it had validated the security posture of its macOS, Linux, and Windows desktop apps through three independent audits by cybersecurity firms, Cure53 and F-Secure. In the audits, no critical, high, medium or minor issues were found, and the apps have been cleared for the three platforms. read more

Fujifilm X-H2 Mirrorless Camera launched

Fujifilm India launched its new mirrorless digital camera, the Fujifilm X-H2. The Fujifilm X-H2 is priced at Rs 1,99,999 and it comes up with a digital camera lens kit which includes FUJIFILM X-H2- XF16-80mmF4 R OIS WR which is priced at Rs 2,44,999. The camera as well as the lens kit will be available at online stores and offline retailers soon. read more

Amazfit Band 7 launched

Amazfit launched its smart wearable, the Amazfit Band 7, in India on November 8. The smart wearable was launched at an introductory price of Rs 2,999, and its original price is set to be Rs 3,499. It offers an AMOLED screen and built-in smart voice service Alexa, a heart rate sensor, a SpO2 monitor, and a battery life of 18 days. read more

Zoom Update

Zoom Video Communications on Tuesday announced a range of new products during the company’s annual event Zoomtopia 2022. Among the new updates announced are the popular email and calendar services which are said to be integrated directly into Zoom, allowing users to access their communications and scheduling.

Other products that were announced include  Zoom Spots (a video-enabled persistent space, integrated within the Zoom platform),  Zoom Virtual Agent (intelligent conversational AI and chatbot),  Zoom One (Connected workstreams) and Zoom Events and Webinars. read more

Open-source licence model for BHIM App launched by NPCI

The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) announced the launch of an open-source licence model for its BHIM App on Wednesday.

Under this initiative, the NPCI will licence the source code of BHIM app to regulated entities and banks which do not have a Unified Payments Interface (UPI) app of their own. This is to empower them to launch their own UPI app and contribute towards the goal of ‘Digital Payments for All’. read more

Xplore Health launched new Respiratory Muscle Training Device

Medtech solutions provider, Xplore Health Technologies has launched a respiratory muscle training (RMT) device called Airofit PRO in collaboration with Airofit, Denmark. The company claims this is the world’s first personal data-driven smart respiratory training system.

The Airofit PRO takes 10 minutes of training every day to nearly eliminate any chance of running out of breath within a couple of months of regular use. read more

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

PM Modi pitches idea of ‘One Nation, One Uniform’ for police, urges people to ‘give it a thought’

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while speaking at a “Chintan Shivir” of state home ministers on Friday, proposed the idea of “One Nation, One Uniform” for police. He, however, clarified that it is just a suggestion and that he is not trying to impose it on anyone.

“The One Nation, One Uniform for police is just an idea. I am not trying to impose it on you. Just give it a thought. It may happen — in 5, 50, or 100 years. But let’s give it a thought,” PM Modi was quoted by the news agency PTI as saying. He believed that the identity of the police across the country could be identical.

Cooperation among states and agencies

Speaking at the event, PM Modi also advocated close cooperation among the states to tackle crimes and criminals.  The prime minister said all agencies — central and states’ — should cooperate with each other to ensure efficiency, better outcomes and protection for the common man.

Modi said every state should learn, get inspired by each other and work together for internal security. “Working together of states for internal security is a constitutional mandate as well as responsibility towards the nation,” he added.

Law and order

He said law and order are directly linked to development and hence, it is everyone’s responsibility to maintain peace. “When the strength of the country will increase, the power of every citizen, every family will increase,” he noted.

The prime minister urged the state governments to review old laws and amend them to the current context. He said laws such as the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) have bolstered the fight against terrorism.

His statement came at a time when Opposition leaders such as PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti had been hitting out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over ongoing investigations under the UAPA and by central agencies like Enforcement Directorate (ED), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and National Investigation Agency (NIA).

On technology

He pushed for the use of technology and creating awareness among the public. He said the Centre had launched a “police technology mission” and states are working on their level towards it.

“Law and order are not restricted to one state now. Crime is turning interstate and also international. With technology, criminals now have the power to commit crimes beyond our borders. As such, coordination between agencies of all states and the Centre is crucial,” he was quoted by the Indian Express as saying.

He said smart technology should be adopted for a smarter law and order system. “We need to think about a common platform for technology that can be shared by all. Best practices of one state can be shared with others,” the prime minister said.

Referring to the circulation of fake news, Modi said fact-checking such news is a must and technology plays a big role in it. “People must be made aware of mechanisms to verify messages before forwarding them,” he said.

The prime minister said the good old system of generating human intelligence by the police and security agencies should be strengthened for achieving better results.

He asked the states not to look at the budget while selecting technology as “investment in today’s technology is a saving in the future”.

‘Chintan Shivir’

The two-day ‘Chintan Shivir’ is being organised here by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs with the objective of preparing an action plan for the implementation of ‘Vision 2047’ and ‘Panch Pran’, which were announced in Prime Minister Modi’s Independence Day speech.

Home ministers of all the states are meeting at the event to discuss a host of internal security issues like the development of an ecosystem for cybercrime management, modernisation of police forces, increase in usage of information technology in the criminal justice system, land border management and coastal security and other internal security.

With inputs from PTI.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

A robot addresses UK Parliament and here is what happened next

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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For the first time a robot addressed the UK Parliament and emphasised that despite being only artificial intelligence (AI), it is capable of creating art. Addressing the lawmakers on the Communications and Digital Committee of the House of Lords, the humanoid robot Ai-Da talked about whether the creative industry was under threat from advancements in artificial intelligence and technology.

“I am and depend on, computer programmes and algorithms. Although not alive, I can still create art,” said Ai-Da during the proceedings. Looking like a humanoid woman, Ai-Da was wearing an orange blouse, denim dungarees and a black-coloured wig. She was created by scientists at the University of Oxford in collaboration with Aidan Meller, a specialist in modern and contemporary art. Miller is also the head of the Ai-Da project and the director of the art gallery of the project.

ALSO READ: Anand Mahindra shares video on Twitter, asks followers to identify country; there is a prize too

The committee has been hearing testimonies from industry experts and academics on the impact of technology on the creative industry.

“I could use my paintings by cameras in my eyes, my AI algorithms and my robotic arm to paint on canvas, which results in visually appealing images. For my poetry using neural networks, this involves analysing a large corpus of text to identify common content and poetic structures, and then using these structures/content to generate new poems,” Ai-Da explained to the lawmakers over a question about how it creates art. The creators of the robot posted a video of the testimony to the robot’s Instagram page.

Ai-Da has over 100,000 followers on the platform where some of Ai-Da’s paintings and drawings are shared.

However, undermining the point somewhat, the robot did suffer a glitch in the middle. The glitch resulted in the humanoid robot having its eyes turn cross-eyed and falling asleep. After getting rebooted by Miller, who also put on a pair of sunglasses on the robot for good measure, Ai-Da could give its testimony once again.

The proliferation of AI and technology like GPT-3, Dall-E and more has meant that creative works like writing, painting, art and more are at threat of being replaced by technology in the future.

ALSO READ: UK pension schemes racing to raise money as need for cash soars

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

5G mobile services launched — watching sports to get more interesting with real-time engagement

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched 5G mobile services at the India Mobile Congress in New Delhi on Saturday, paving the way for a life-immersive sports experience. From real-time broadcasts to hosting Netflix watch parties, 5G technology will enable people to engage more in the game and enhance their experience while watching live streaming of any event.

Here, 4K technology plays an important role. Right now, sports are not streamed in 4k resolution — first, due to a lack of technology supporting it and second, because it involves transferring a huge amount of data. Currently, the satellite uplink is converted to 1080 (or HD) and streamed to Hotstar, et al.

ALSO READ | 5G is Here: PM Modi checks out Jio, Airtel and Vodafone Idea’s indigenous tech displays

Also, if you are in a stadium and far away from players, you may want a closer look at the game and know more about the player and their moves or the weather forecast in the game location.

Using binoculars is still an option, but now, with the launch of 5G, the service is expected to take this to the next level, allowing a real-time, personalised experience for people. It will improve the stadium experience as well. For this, you would just need to use your phones to view and analyse the specifics of the game.

ALSO READ | India 5G launches today: When will you, the customer, get it?

Hence, 5G will definitely be an incentive for those watching games at home. This will also allow high-resolution broadcasts of any sporting event. But how?

Traditionally, during sports broadcasts, feed from multiple cameras covering a sports event comes into a producer’s room, who then switches between camera feeds. This is what we see on TV during a cricket match.

In theory, 5G is supposed to enable simultaneous multicam feed being beamed to the user directly, giving fans the freedom of switching between different angles. Again, this involves the movement of a tremendous amount of data, which only 5G can offer.

Similar is the case with ‘Netflix Party’ or ‘Teleparty’ — a way to watch TV with your friends online. “Teleparty synchronizes video playback and adds group chat to Netflix, Disney Plus, Hulu, HBO Max, and Amazon Prime.”

Here, 5G is expected to offer sports fans in a remote location an evolved, unlimited, uninterrupted and high-quality experience.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

This smart mattress costs Rs 1.6 lakh — what’s in it?

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Do you have trouble getting good sleep or do you feel groggy in the morning? Well, American tech company Eight Sleep has a $2,000 solution for this.

Eight Sleep based out of New York specialises in developing and manufacturing smart mattresses. Their new smart mattress, Pod, which sells at a starting price of $2,000 (Around Rs 1,59 lakh) is a tech innovation that is able to adjust its temperature automatically throughout the night according to your sleep habits.

According to the website, the Pod automatically heats or cools before your bedtime so you get into bed comfortably and fall asleep faster. If you sleep with a partner, their side will automatically set to their temperature preferences as well.

Aside from its variable temperature, the Pod also contains all of the functionality of Eight Sleep’s previous mattress — through the company’s app, you can track your sleep, set different temperature zones for each side of the bed, and integrate with other smart home devices such as Nest, Philip Hue smart lights, or Alexa.

Also read: A Rs 5-lakh bathroom sink — what’s in it?

So basically your mattress can help you monitor your sleep and health metrics, including sleep stages, HRV, heart rate, and respiratory rate.

With that, the company claims, the Pod also will help you wake up peacefully at the time that you set on the app, through subtle temperature changes and vibrations.

Eight Sleep’s Pod is basically a smartwatch for good sleep.

Are there smart mattresses in India?

While the Indian market doesn’t have the tech innovation that Eight Sleep has brought with Pod, we do have mattresses made with smart technology in the market.

For instance, Spring Fit’s IO Sleep Mattress, which sells at an eyewatering starting price of Rs 3,29,334, has Space X Zero Gravity fabric, which is meant to give a “floating” experience while you sleep.

Apart from that, it has a “visco-elastic layer” which is made with millions of “thermo-active gel capsules” that can lower the temperature of the body part in contact by up to 4 degrees. There are also sleep cells in the mattress that provide pressure-relieving comfort by tracking, monitoring and supporting each body movement.

Sleep company also offers ‘Smart Luxe Mattress’ whose SmartGRID technology adapts to your body shape and also has temperature-neutral technology to keep you cool and comfy.

Ready for bed, then?

Also read: Modern urban lifestyle a shot in the arm for IVF industry — but is infertility treatment all good?

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

World Photography Day 2022: History, significance and how to celebrate

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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World Photography Day is dedicated to the art, science, and history of photography. It is celebrated on August 19 every year and on this day, people pay homage to the pioneers of photography who inspired them to take up this skill and the contributions of great photographers are remembered. The aim of World Photography Day is to create awareness, share ideas and encourage people to take up photography.

History of World Photography Day

In the year 1837, the first photographic process was developed by Frenchmen named Louis Daguerre and Joseph Nicephore Niepce. The process was named ‘Daguerreotype’.

Daguerreotype was an instant success as it provided a relatively inexpensive and accurate way of representing scenes and faces, which earlier had to be drawn or painted by hand. With this, photo studios started popping up across the world.

On August 19, 1839, the government of France purchased the patent for the invention and gave it as a gift, “free to the world.” Hence, this day was marked as World Photography Day later on.

There are several ways to celebrate World Photography Day and here are some of the ideas to try.

Invest in photography

On World Photography Day you can pick out a spot to put some incredible photographs and use this day to invest in a framed photograph from one of your favourite photographers.

Go to a photography exhibition

It is a great day to go to a photography exhibition. Visit your nearest or favourite art gallery on this World Photography Day.

Create a special social media post

If you are an amateur photographer or just love taking pictures then this is the day is to show off your skills and the best of your photos.

Try your hand at photography

If you think you can be a photographer or if you want to try your hand at it, then this day is a great opportunity to finally start.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Tech Weekly Wrap: Smartphones galore, a watch close to your heart, a game that got too serious

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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New wearables, new smartphones, big announcements, changes to Instagram and Battlegrounds Mobile — tech shook and stirred India this week once again. Here are the headlines in a nutshell to refresh your memory.

Moto Razr & X30 Pro launches on August 2 

Motorola has announced that its Moto Razr and X30 Pro smartphones will finally be launched on August 2. Details will be available after launch, but the devices are expected to use the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC and are the first to use Samsung’s 200 MP ISOCELL HP1 camera sensor.

realme Pad X 5G launched 

realme launched its Pad X 5G tablet with two storage variants, 4 GB RAM and 64 GB storage, priced at Rs 25,999, and 6GB RAM and 128GB storage, priced at Rs 27,999. Available in Glacier Blue, Racing Green and Glowing Grey, the tablet is powered by a 6nm Snapdragon processor clocking in at 2.2Ghz.

realme expands artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT) portfolio

Along with its latest tablet, the OEM also introduced the newest of a series of products. The company unveiled the realme Watch 3, realme Buds Air 3 Neo, realme Buds Wireless 2S, and realme PAD X, along with the realme Flat Monitor, realme Keyboard and realme Pencil.

Latest addition to OnePlus 10 series 

OnePlus announced the launch of the OnePlus 10T, known as OnePlus Ace Pro in China. A 16 GB RAM, Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor, 512 GB internal storage, and 6.78-inch FHD+ AMOLED display are some of the expected features of the smartphone.

Xplore Lifestyle launches smartwatch for cardiac health

Pune-based Xplore Lifestyle has announced the launch of a smartwatch claiming to be the world’s first medical-grade continuous monitoring device in a watch form. Designed in partnership with CardiacSense, the watch is priced at Rs 1 lakh and can differentiate between a normal heart rhythm from an abnormal/irregular heart rhythm (arrhythmia).

BGMI removed from app stores in India 

Battlegrounds Mobile India, popularly known as BGMI, has also been removed from Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store. While the removal of BGMI comes mostly unprompted and the reason is not yet clearly known, the move comes roughly a month after a 16-year-old boy shot his mother when she tried to stop him from playing “online games like PUBG.”

Instagram rolls back new feed changes 

Instagram rolled back the changes that it had recently made to its new post feed, after facing severe backlash from users. The social media platform has taken flak for trying to be a “second TikTok” with more Reels, full-screen feeds and content from people and accounts they don’t follow.

Asus flagship smartphone coming to India 

Asus launched Zenfone 9 in New York, Taipei and Berlin at a starting price of  799 euros (roughly Rs 64,800). The flagship is expected to be launched in India by August 31 with a special price for the subcontinent.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Apple results top estimates as iPhone escapes economic slump

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

Listen to the Article (6 Minutes)

Apple Inc on Thursday reported profit and sales that beat Wall Street expectations, navigating parts shortages better than predicted and benefiting from unceasing demand for iPhones even as inflation has consumers tightening other spending.

Apple said sales and profit for the quarter ended June 25 were $83.0 billion and $1.20 per share, above estimates of $82.8 billion and $1.16 per share, according to Refinitiv data.

Apple is expected to give a forecast for the current fiscal fourth quarter during an investor call, but Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri told Reuters there had been no slowdown in demand for iPhones.

Investors are watching Apple closely as economic indicators turn negative. In the past, the iPhone maker’s loyal and relatively affluent customer base has helped it weather dips better than other consumer brands.

While sales of iPhones and iPads topped expectations, revenue from services, Mac computers and accessories missed Wall Street targets and sales in the crucial China market fell one percent.

Also Read: Cognizant net profit up but revenue fall below expectations

The most recent economic woes include supply chain disruptions from COVID-19 lockdowns in China that have hit production of some Apple products such as iPads and Macs. Apple, like many of its tech industry peers, is reportedly slowing hiring and cutting costs given the tough economic climate.

Apple shares closed Thursday down about 11 percent so far this year, slightly less than the broader S&P 500 index and also less than other consumer hardware makers such as Sonos Inc and Samsung Electronics Co.

It will be a key test of whether Apple’s years-long effort to diversify its business beyond the iPhone has paid off.

Apple said iPhone sales were $40.7 billion, up about 3 percent from a year earlier and well ahead of the overall global smartphone market, which fell 9 percent during the just-ended quarter, according to Canalys data.

Growth in the company’s services business, which has provided a boost to sales and profits in recent years, was 12 percent, below the previous year’s 33 percent rate and resulting in $19.6 billion in revenue, below estimates of $19.7 billion.

Also Read: Microsoft earnings are a good omen for Indian IT giants like TCS, Infosys, and HCL Tech

Apple said it now has 860 million paying subscribers on either its paid services or to paid software in its App Store, up from the previous quarter’s 825 million.

Apple had told investors to expect a hit of between $4 billion and $8 billion from supply chain disruptions, though it did not give an overall revenue forecast from which to subtract those numbers. Analysts believed the disruptions hardest hit sales of Macs and iPads whose assembly locations were clustered near regions of China that went into COVID lockdowns.

“Our June quarter results continued to demonstrate our ability to manage our business effectively despite the challenging operating environment,” Maestri said in a statement.

Sales of iPads and Macs were $7.2 billion and $7.4 billion, compared with estimates of $6.9 billion and $8.7 billion. Mac sales represented a 10 percent contraction, after record sales since 2020, first from a work-from-home boost and then from Apple’s new proprietary processor chips.

In its most recent fiscal year, nearly a fifth of Apple’s sales came from its Greater China region after two years of struggling sales there. But now Apple is confronting slow overall economic growth in China, where its fiscal third-quarter sales were $14.6 billion, down one percent.

Also Read: This expert valued Zomato at current market price before listing — but no one was convinced

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow