Technology news

Music streaming service Spotify has seen a faster pace of growth since the launch in June last year of rival Apple Music, a top executive said on Monday.
Spotify, which was created in Stockholm 10 years ago, now boasts of having close to 100 million users in more than 59 markets, despite increasing competition and, so far, a lack of profits.
“It’s great that Apple is in the game. They are definitely raising the profile of streaming. It is hard to build an industry on your own,”

Opera VPN will come pre-loaded with an Ad-blocker
Opera Software has launched a new VPN app to help iOS users “bypass firewalls, access geo-restricted content and extend the access of apps”. The app will be available for iPhone and iPad users.   
Chris Houston, president of Opera’s SurfEasy division, said every day, millions of people, from students to working people, find that social media sites like Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook as well as video streaming sites

Xiaomi Mi Max will launch on May 10, which is tomorrow: The company’s CEO has put out a new set of pictures on his Weibo account.
Xiaomi CEO Jun Lei has put a new bunch of images for the Mi Max smartphone, a day ahead of its official launch in Beijing, China. Xiaomi CEO Jun Lei posted a picture of Mi Max on his Weibo account, which shows the Mi Max being used in various scenarios.
Lei’s posts have also revealed that the 6.44-inch Mi Max will be a dual-SIM device (hybrid design) with

Dataminr analyses tweets and other information streams to create alerts for traders, news reporters and government agencies.
Amid the growing concerns over terrorism, security and users’ privacy, micro-blogging website Twitter has barred US intelligence agencies from accessing a service that sends alerts about unfolding terror attacks and political unrest, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The service is provided by New York-based Dataminr, a company that analyses tweets and other informa

Reliance LYF Water 5 comes with a 13 megapixel rear camera with manual HDR, 6x digital zoom and more.
Reliance has introduced a new smartphone in its LYF series called LYF Water 5 at Rs 11,699. The smartphone is Amazon exclusive, where it is available in black colour variant. The 4G-enabled device supports VoLTE and weighs 136 gm.
Reliance LYF Water 5 sports a 5-inch IPS LCD screen with a resolution of 1280x720p and pixel density of 294 ppi. It comes with a 13 megapixel rear camera with manual

PC shipments in Asia Pacific and Greater China dipped 14% as the Chinese market saw its third consecutive quarter of double-digit declines.
Worldwide PC shipments, which includes desktops, notebooks, two-in-ones and tablets, dipped 13 per cent year-on-year to reach their lowest point since Q2 2011, research firm Canalys said.
As 101 million units were shipped in Q1 2016, Apple continued to lead with shipments of just over 14 million units, despite falling 17 per cent, as Lenovo shipped some 25,

Opera VPN will come pre-loaded with an Ad-blocker
Opera Software has launched a new VPN app to help iOS users “bypass firewalls, access geo-restricted content and extend the access of apps”. The app will be available for iPhone and iPad users.   
Chris Houston, president of Opera’s SurfEasy division, said every day, millions of people, from students to working people, find that social media sites like Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook as well as video streaming sites

Micromax Canvas XP 4G sports an eight megapixel rear camera and a 5 megapixel front shooter.
Micromax launched 4G-enabled Canvas XP 4G smartphone at Rs 7,499. The smartphone will be exclusively available on Snapdeal for a limited period, starting May 10.
Micromax canvas XP 4G features a 5-inch HD IPS screen. It is powered by 1 GHz quad-core processor, with 3GB RAM and 16GB internal storage.
Shubhajit Sen, Chief Marketing Officer, Micromax, said, “With the launch of Canvas XP with Snapdeal

Visual from Kolkata: Transit of planet Mercury across the Sun, happens only 13-14 times in a century (ANI photo)
Mercury has begun a relatively rare move across the sun.
The solar-planetary ballet got underway just after 7 am on the east coast with the smallest planet appearing as a tiny black dot on the face of the sun. The transit will last for a total of about 7 ½ hours. The last time it happened was 2006. It will happen again three years from now, but then not until 2032. NASA says t

BookMyShow has seen a design revamp for the website. We spoke to AVP Product Anish Tripathi on why design matters in technology.
If you love watching movies or are a fan of theatre in your city, chances are that you’ve used BookMyShow to get a ticket. The website, which is India’s largest online movie and event ticketing platform, has recently seen a design revamp for its desktop version.
BookMyShow claims the redesign has resulted in drop in bounce rate (by 60 per cent), and more u

Once the agreement is finalised, BSNL customers will also have access to the networks of Reliance Jio and Vodafone.
State-owned BSNL is in advanced talks with Reliance Jio and Vodafone for signing a 2G roaming agreement this month.
“We are in advanced stages for signing 2G intra-circle roaming agreement with Reliance Jio and Vodafone. I believe agreement with them should be signed this month,” BSNL Chairman and Managing Director Anupam Shrivastava said.
Under the agreement, customer

Airbus, supporting the Mission Perlan 2 group that launched the ambitious project, aims to test every aspect of the unpowered aircraft.
Airbus completed a test flight Saturday of a glider set to eventually travel to the edge of space, in a pioneering step into the stratosphere.
The Perlan 2’s flight, from an airstrip in the western US state of Nevada, took place two hours after the planned 1:45 (local time) start time due to heavy rain. It lasted just a few minutes — instead of 30 m

WhatsApp video-calling feature will soon go live for app as beta-testing is currently going on for iOS versions of the apps.
WhatsApp is rumoured to be working on a video-calling feature, says a report in Android Police. According to the report, the Facebook-owned messaging service is also testing a feature that will allow users to invite people to a group via NFC tags as well a new group invite feature.
WhatsApp is currently beta testing the video-calling feature for iOS, which is only availab

Using digital platforms such as tablets and laptops for reading may make you more inclined to focus on concrete details rather than interpreting information more abstractly – a factor that can affect your problem-solving ability and creative thinking.
Considered as the most complex stage in the development of cognitive thinking, abstract thinking helps us conceptualise, draw conclusions, or interpret complex ideas.
Impaired abstract thinking is frequently associated with reduced foresight,

American electronic commerce and cloud computing company Amazon has pledged to expand its same-day service to underserved people in the 27 cities it currently operates in the United States.
The move by the E-commerce giant comes days after Bloomberg investigation found that the company’s same-day delivery service was biased in favour of whites in some regions.
The report further exhibited that black residents in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, and Washington were about half as likely to be eligi

Twitter said in a statement that its data is largely public and the US authorities can review public accounts on its own, the Verge quoted the Wall Street Journal as stating. Micro-blogging site Twitter has reportedly barred US intelligence agencies from using Dataminr, a service that analyses tweets from across the globe to inform users about news events.
Twitter said in a statement that its data is largely public and the US authorities can review public accounts on its own, the Verge quoted t

The Coolpad Note 3 Plus smartphone sports a 5.5-inch full-HD IPS display, and is powered by 1.3GHz octa-core MediaTek 6753 SoC, coupled with 3GB of RAM. Chinese telecommunications equipment company Coolpad has launched its new Coolpad Note 3 Plus smartphone in India. Coolpad Note 3 Plus smartphone is priced at Rs 8,999 and would be available for sale from May 13 at Amazon.com.
The Coolpad Note 3 Plus smartphone sports a 5.5-inch full-HD IPS display, and is powered by 1.3GHz octa-core MediaTek 6

Galaxy J5 and Galaxy J7 smartphones are priced at are Rs 13,990 and Rs 15,990 respectively. South Korean multinational conglomerate company Samsung on Monday announced the launch of the 2016 editions of its Galaxy J5 and Galaxy J7 smartphones in India and would be available for sale on Flipkart from Tuesday.
Galaxy J5 and Galaxy J7 smartphones are priced at are Rs 13,990 and Rs 15,990 respectively. The Galaxy J7 (2016) sports a 2GB of RAM and an HD display unlike 3GB of RAM and full-HD display

Samsung Galaxy J5 (in gold), Galaxy J7 (in black) have been launched in India at Rs 13,990 and Rs 15,990 respectively.
Samsung Galaxy J5 and J7 (2016) smartphones have been launched in India at Rs 15,990 and Rs 13,990 respectively. The smartphones are Flipkart exclusive and will go on sale on midnight, May 10. Samsung is offering double data (up to 30 GB) free to Airtel users.
Samsung says that the J series is their largest selling smartphone series in India. The company has added some India sp

Samsung Galaxy J5 (in gold), Galaxy J7 (in black) have been launched in India at Rs 13,990 and Rs 15,990 respectively.
Samsung Galaxy J5 and J7 (2016) smartphones have been launched in India at Rs 15,990 and Rs 13,990 respectively. The smartphones are Flipkart exclusive and will go on sale on midnight, May 10. Samsung is offering double data (up to 30 GB) free to Airtel users.
Samsung says that the J series is their largest selling smartphone series in India. The company has added some India sp

WhatsApp video-calling feature will soon go live for app as beta-testing is currently going on for iOS versions of the apps. 
WhatsApp is rumoured to be working on a video-calling feature, says a report in Android Police. According to the report, the Facebook-owned messaging service is also testing a feature that will allow users to invite people to a group via NFC tags.
WhatsApp is currently beta testing the video-calling feature for iOS, which is only available on few devices running the

Samsung 2016 edition of the Galaxy J5 and J7 features a metal frame, and a more stylish design.
Samsung Galaxy J5 and J7 (2016) smartphones have been launched in India at Rs 15,990 and Rs 13,990 respectively. The smartphones are Flipkart exclusive and will go on sale on midnight, May 10. Samsung is offering double data (up to 30 GB) free to Airtel users.
The 2016 edition of the Galaxy J5 and J7 features a metal frame, and a more stylish design. Both smartphones also run the latest Android 6.0 M

Facebook Messenger now has an option for users in India to get health tips and advice from Lybrate’s chatbot.
Did you know you can do a lot of other cool things on Facebook Messenger, apart from chatting? Facebook recently introduced bots for Messenger, which are capable of booking doctor appointments, cabs and more. In fact, bots will soon become as much a part of the conversation as real people.
As Facebook says in its blog, “bots can provide anything from automated subscription co

Scientists claim to have developed the world’s first holographic flexible smartphone that lets users interact with 3D videos and images without any headgear or glasses.
The device, dubbed HoloFlex, is capable of rendering 3D images with motion parallax and stereoscopy to multiple simultaneous users without head tracking or glasses.
“HoloFlex offers a completely new way of interacting with your smartphone. It allows for glasses-free interactions with 3D video and images in a way that

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been trying to break the ice with China for years. (Reuters) In a signal that China may soften its stand against social networking giant Facebook, the Beijing High Court has ruled in favour of the Cupertino-based company, saying that a Chinese company should not have been allowed to register the “face book” trademark back in 2014.
The Zhongshan Pearl River Drinks Factory in southern Guangdong province that had registered the brand name “face bo

Samsung Galaxy J7 and Galaxy J5 (2016) will launch in India today. Here are the specs and expected pricing.
Samsung Galaxy J5 and J7 (2016) smartphones will launch in India today. The company had recently announced the prices of these new smartphones in South Korea. The new J series was first launched in China in March, 2016.
In Korea, the J5 (2016) was launched at KRW 290,000 or Rs 17,000,  and the J7 was launched at KRW 363,000 or Rs 21,000. This is considerably higher than the prices of

Apple and Facebook have created a website called ‘MomsShotOniPhone’ as part of a Mother’s Day special.
Apple has teamed up with social networking giant Facebook to help netizens celebrate Mother’s Day  by making a slideshow using a photo of their mothers and sharing it on their profiles.
The site ‘MomsShotOniPhone‘ which Apple has created is fairly simple, with the users required to enter their first name and last initial, and then ad

Land Rover has tied up with consumer electronics company Bullitt Group to develop a smartphone and range of accessories. (Image source: Bullitt Group)
In the race to capture the burgeoning global smartphone market, British automotive brand Jaguar Land Rover, currently owned by Tata Motors, is all set to launch smartphones and accessories by early 2017.
For this, Land Rover has tied up with consumer electronics company Bullitt Group to develop a smartphone and range of accessories.
“Incorp

The portfolio will launch in early 2017 and will embody the core values of the Land Rover brand, featuring some truly innovative capabilities and technology. (Reuters) In the race to capture the burgeoning global smartphone market, British automotive brand Jaguar Land Rover, currently owned by Tata Motors, is all set to launch smartphones and accessories by early 2017.
For this, Land Rover has tied up with consumer electronics company Bullitt Group to develop a bespoke smartphone and range of a