Technology news

App LocalTalks is scheduled for launch in the first week of July. However, at present, the app is available only in Maharashtra.
IT WAS in April 2014, when the city was upbeat about the Lok Sabha and assembly polls that city-based Neha Kakkad felt that most voters are unaware of whom they are casting their vote for and often, end up voting for the party.
This is when Kakkad and her team came up with the idea of developing an app that would connect the residents with the MLA of the respective ar

Twitter will now let users add virtual stickers to the photos they post, the company said today. Hundreds are available at launch, including the standard Unicode emoji and some original work from Twitter. (Reuters) Twitter will now let users add virtual stickers to the photos they post, the company said today. Hundreds are available at launch, including the standard Unicode emoji and some original work from Twitter. The company is also creating collections of stickers that are pegged to the tim

The rooms are present in over 6000 hotels spread across 180 cities in India.
Oyo has announced “OYO for Business” which offers rooms to cater to the needs of corporate travellers. Amenities include air-conditioned rooms equipped with flat-screen television, free Wi-Fi, complimentary breakfast and 24×7 customer-care support. The rooms are present in over 6000 hotels spread across 180 cities in India.
The development follows a six-month period of testing with 1600 companies, inc

Ringing Bells initially said it would start deliveries on June 28. Now, it has delayed the date of delivery to June 30.
Four months back, I struggled, but finally managed, to book the Ringing Bells Freedom 251 for myself. I had the same question on my mind as millions of other Indians — what does a Rs 251 smartphone look like? But even today, holding Freedom 251 in my hands seems like a distant dream; despite the company reassuring it will start deliveries from June 30. Let me tell you wh

Users can browse Twitter’s rotating sets of stickers to join in on real-time conversations.
Twitter has introduced #Stickers which lets users add creativity to photos and connect them on the micro-blogging site.
Users can browse Twitter’s rotating sets of stickers to join in on real-time conversations, and select from the library of accessories, emoji, and props. The #Stickers feature will let users share their current status or feelings, to show support for a cause, or to just add

No more fiddling with the phone to book an auto.
Jugnoo has integrated with Siri which will let users book an auto via iPhone’s voice assistant. Updating its iOS app, Jugnoo users can now rest their fingers and simply say “Hey Siri, book an auto with Jugnoo app” to book the auto-rickshaws.
Samar Singla, Founder and CEO Jugnoo said, “Last month we introduced Jugnoo Bot in integration with Facebook messenger that increased our traction by over 10%. It was an effort to give

Reliance has launched LYF Earth 2 Smartphone+ in India.
Reliance has launched LYF Earth 2 smartphone in India at Rs 20,999. The 4G VoLTE enabled smartphone is available in black, white, green and gold colour variants.
Reliance Earth 2 has a 5-inch display with with a pixel density of 445PPi. It features 2.5D glass in the front. Earth 2 is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, coupled with 3GB RAM and 32GB ROM. It packs a 2500mAh battery.
Reliance Earth 2 has a 13MP front and re

Micromax Canvas Unite 4 and Unite 4 Pro have been launched by the company. Here’s a quick look at the details.
Micromax Canvas Unite 4 and Unite 4 Pro smartphones have been launched by the company, priced at at Rs 6,999 and Rs 7,499 respectively. While Unite 4 Pro will be Snapdeal exclusive, the Unite 4 will be sold in offline stores.
Canvas Unite 4 and Unite 4 Pro come with Indus OS 2.0, which is an OS in 12 regional languages, have a fingerprint sensor, and are 4G-enabled devices.
Micro

To catalyze this CDLA audio technology adoption, LeEco has made a handsome investment of Rs 200 million.
LeEco, the global internet and technology conglomerate has been at the forefront of various innovations that are shaping the future and changing the technology world. This time, with its second generation Superphones Le 2 and Le Max2 launched recently in the Indian market, LeEco is leading a revolution in the audio technology space with an investment of Rs 200 million in popularizing the pio

Facebook Privacy Notice Hoax is back in 2016, claiming to protect your data. And yes it is still a hoax. (Source: Reuters)
The Facebook Privacy Notice scam is back again this year. You might have noticed the ‘legal’-sounding message which claims to ‘protect’ a user’s content, because Facebook will now make even private posts public.  The hoax had surfaced in 2012, in 2014, 2015 and now is being shared on the social media site again, with the format pretty much

Ringing Bells initially said it would start deliveries on June 28. Now, it has delayed the date of delivery to June 30.
Four months back, I struggled, but finally managed, to book the Ringing Bells Freedom 251 for myself. I had the same question on my mind as millions of other Indians — what does a Rs 251 smartphone look like? But even today, holding Freedom 251 in my hands seems like a distant dream; despite the company reassuring it will start deliveries from June 30. Let me tell you wh

Chinese parliament has not yet published the full second draft of the cybersecurity law and it is not clear when it may be passed. (Reuters) China moved closer on Monday to adopting a controversial cybersecurity law, after parliament held a second reading of the draft rules, which carry significant consequences for domestic and foreign business and threaten greater censorship.
China enforces widespread controls over the internet that it has sought to codify in law, and Chinese laws often go thr

Reliance has launched LYF Earth 2 Smartphone+ in India.
Reliance has launched LYF Earth 2 Smartphone+ in India at Rs 20,999. The 4G VoLTE enabled smartphone is available in black, white, green and gold colour variants.
Reliance Earth 2 Smartphone+ has a 5-inch display with with a pixel density of 445PPi. It features 2.5D glass in the front. Earth 2 is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, coupled with 3GB RAM and 32GB ROM. It packs a 2500mAh battery.
Reliance Earth 2 Smartphone

Godless can target any Android device running Android 5.1 Lollipop or earlier.
A family of malware called Godless has affected over 8,50,000 devices worldwide, according to a report on Trend Micro. The report says more than half (46.19 per cent) of the devices alone have been affected in India, followed by Indonesia at 10.27 per cent and Thailand at 9.47 per cent.
“We came across a family of mobile malware called Godless (detected as ANDROIDOS_GODLESS.HRX) that has a set of rooting exploi

The technology giant is in discussions with mobile operators about releasing a Google-branded phone, the Telegraph reported on Sunday, citing sources familiar with the discussions. (Reuters) In an apparent move to take on Apple’s dominance in the lucrative high-end smartphone market, search engine giant Google may release its own brand of handset by the end of this year, according to a media report.
The technology giant is in discussions with mobile operators about releasing a Google-bran

Ringing Bells has promised Freedom 251 deliveries will start by June 30. Here’s a  look at the entire controversy in detail.
Ringing Bells, which launched Freedom 251, the world’s cheapest smartphone in India, claims it is now ready to deliver the phone to customers.
Freedom 251 priced at Rs 251 (approximately $4) will be delivered to customers by June 30, insists the company and its owners, even though no one has actually seen the handset and many have dismissed Ringing Bells

Micromax Canvas Unite 4 and Unite 4 Pro have been launched by the company. Here’s a quick look at the details.
Micromax Canvas Unite 4 and Unite 4 Pro smartphones have been launched by the company, priced at at Rs 6,999 and Rs 7,499 respectively. While Unite 4 Pro will be Snapdeal exclusive, the Unite 4 will be sold in offline stores.
Canvas Unite 4 and Unite 4 Pro come with Indus OS 2.0, which is an OS in 12 regional languages, have a fingerprint sensor, and are 4G-enabled devices.
Micro

The first flash sale for Le 2 will commence tomorrow at 12 noon, registrations for which will close tomorrow at 11 am.
Within a few weeks of launching its second generation Superphones, Le 2 and Le Max2, LeEco has received a tremendous response from users securing a record-breaking number of 525,000 registrations on both LeMall.com, LeEco’s own ecommerce marketplace and Flipkart.
The much- awaited first flash sale of the Superphones is scheduled for tomorrow (June 28), leaving few hours f

Scientists in the UK ran the huge cosmological simulations that can be used to predict the rate at which gravitational waves caused by collisions between the monster black holes might be detected. (Source: Reuters)
Gravitational waves or ripples inspace-time captured by space detectors could soon be used to discover when and how some of the universe’s largest black holes were born, scientists say.
Scientists led by researchers at the Durham University in the UK ran the huge cosmological s

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg said, ‘Today millions of people will march in Pride parades around the world. I stand with them.’ (Source: Facebook photo)
With the ongoing LGBT Pride Parade in San Francisco, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg also joined in the celebrations, to honour who have stood up for the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Mark Zuckerberg shared a post on Facebook saying, “Today millions of people will march in Pride parades around th

Apple iPhone 7 Plus will have a dual-rear camera, claim latest leaks. (Representational Image. Source: Reuters)
Apple iPhone 7 Plus will have a dual-rear camera set-up, while the 4.7-inch iPhone 7 will also get an upgraded and bigger camera module, according to the latest set of leaked photos.
NowhereElse.fr has put out pictures of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus which claims to show the new camera components.
As this 9to5Mac report notes, the dual-camera component will be exclusive to the 5.5 i

For Micromax, the Unite series has seen sales of over 2.5 million units till date. (Source: Micromax) Domestic handset major Micromax will strengthen support for regional languages on its devices and is launching two new smartphones supporting 12 Indian languages.
“We see regional language, 4G and online and mid premium segment as key levers of growth for the smartphone category in India. Regional language support is probably the most overlooked.
“Based on our research, we found tha

Micromax Unite 4 and Unite 4 Pro are first smartphones to feature Indus OS 2.0 and is priced at Rs 6,999 and Rs 7,499 respectively. Micromax has added two new smartphones to its existing Unite series with the launch of Micromax Unite 4 and Micromax Unite 4 Pro smartphones priced at Rs 6,999 and Rs 7,499 respectively. Micromax Unite 4 will be sold through offline as well as online mode while Micromax Unite 4 Pro will be sold exclusively on Snapdeal.
Micromax Unite 4 and Unite 4 Pro are first sma

Ringing Bell earlier claimed to ship 25 lakh units of Freedom 251 smartphone by June, but they slashed it down by almost 90%. Freedom 251 mobile booking may have created a huge controversy across India, but now the company, Ringing Bells, is back and it says that the Rs 251 phone is now all set for deliveries. The company says that deliveries will start from June 30 and it has even held out the prospect of fresh registrations. The company claimed that it is ready with 2,00,000 smartph

Jessica Lee, director, communications (Asia), Netflix. (Photo: Netflix)
The US-based on-demand streaming website Netflix arrived in the country five months ago and after facing initial hiccups, is geared up to overturn the viewing habits of Indians by acquiring recent Bollywood titles, memorable classic titles and the best of regional cinema (Tamil, Gujarati, Punjabi and Marathi), a top Netflix executive has said.
“It’s early days in India and there’s still much to learn and d

The Facebook Privacy Notice Hoax is back and yes it is still a hoax. (Source: Reuters)
The Facebook Privacy Notice scam is back again this year. You might have noticed the ‘legal’-sounding message which claims to ‘protect’ a user’s content, because Facebook will now make even private posts public.  The hoax had surfaced in 2012, in 2014, 2015 and now is being shared on the social media site again, with the format pretty much the same.
Facebook can keep issuing

Google CEO Sundar Pichai’s Quora account is the latest victim, when it comes to hacking of social media accounts belonging to top Silicon Valley executives.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai’s Quora account is the latest victim, when it comes to hacking of social media accounts belonging to top Silicon Valley executives. Pichai and the Quora hacking take place a month after Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s Twitter and Pinterest accounts were hacked by OurMine Team, which is also responsib

Freecharge aims to make cashless payments at offline stores easier with On The Go Pin feature.
Freecharge aims to make cashless payments at offline stores easier with On The Go Pin feature. The new feature replaces the need to generate an OTP message with a pin that is always present within the smartphone and keeps changing every few seconds.
Users will have to enter the On The Go Pin and their mobile number in the POS available at offline stores to pay. The Freecharge On The Go Pin feature can

Operating in over 190 countries, Netflix has just announced its first original series from the country based on the best-selling novel “Sacred Games” by Indian author Vikram Chandra. (Reuters) The US-based on-demand streaming website Netflix arrived in the country five months ago and after facing initial hiccups, is geared up to overturn the viewing habits of Indians by acquiring recent Bollywood titles, memorable classic titles and the best of regional cinema (Tamil, Gujarati, Punj

“Manufacturers are really interested in this because they make billions of bottles that end up in the garbage with product still in them,” said Bharat Bhushan, Professor from Ohio State University. (Reuters) Ever struggled with a shampoo bottle in trying to get the last drop out or the last bit of a hand wash, dish wash or laundry detergent? Worry not as researchers, including one of Indian-origin, have found a way to create the perfect texture inside plastic bottles to let soap pro

Technology giant Microsoft recently launched a prototype trap for detecting mosquito-borne illnesses like dengue and Zika, says a report.
The prototype trap is being developed as part of the Microsoft’s Project Premonition — a novel autonomous system for monitoring, detecting and preventing emerging infectious disease outbreaks and marks the company’s biggest innovation in trap technologies.
The trap includes a custom-built mosquito trap that allows entomologists collect faste

The band marks Apple’s 30th year in association with Pride Parade in San Francisco. (Source: Reddit/Sakusuhon)
When it comes to the  LGBT Pride Parade in San Francisco, Apple has been one tech company that remains very active on the scene. This year too, Apple CEO Tim Cook and employees joined the Pride parade. Apple took its support for #Pride a step further with employees wearing a new limited edition rainbow-coloured Apple Watch band.  The band marks Apple’s 3

Huawei is planning to launch its own mobile OS and wants to revamp EMUI, says a new report. (Representational image of Honor 5C)
Huawei is banking on building its own mobile OS, and wants to redesign its current EMUI so that it looks less like a poor copy of Apple’s iOS.
A report on the Information (subscriber access only) points out Huawei has now hired former Apple designer Abigail Brody in order “to change the look of its smartphone software skin.”
The report also points ou

A space-based instrument called the Evolved Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (eLISA) detector is set to be launched in 2034. (Reuters) Space-based detector can spot at least two gravitational waves — ripples in space-time — each year caused by collisions between supermassive black holes, revealing the initial mass of the seeds from which the first black holes grew 13 billion years ago.
A space-based instrument called the Evolved Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (eLISA) detector