Ratan Tata wanted to sell TCS to IBM: Cyrus Mistry

Tata Sons' ousted Chairman Cyrus Mistry claimed in a letter on Tuesday that Ratan Tata wanted to sell the company’s “crown jewel” Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) to IBM. Ratan Tata had even approached JRD Tata but he refused to discuss the deal. "It was also a near death experience for TCS at the hands of Ratan Tata," the letter said.

Fake Google redirecting users to a spam website

A Google imposter is redirecting the users to a spam website which may potentially harm a user's computer and says 'Trump, you did it!'. The domain name for fake Google contains the Latin letter for capital 'G' instead of the English letter 'G' used in genuine Google web address. Google has published a fix to eliminate the spam.

Apple to stop making wireless routers: Report

After a recent announcement to exit the external computer monitor business, Apple is said to stop making wireless routers. The company began shutting down the wireless router team over the past year and shifted its engineers to other product development groups. Notably, Apple has not pushed any update for its wireless routers since 2013.

20-yr-old's software gives tour of five star hotel suites

A 20-year-old student, Rachana Bagde has created a software called 'G for Gestures', which uses hand gestures to give a tour of five-star hotel suites in virtual reality. The software along with a body sensor are equipped with a system, allowing guests to explore the interior and outside view of different suites. The starting price of the software is ₹60,000.

Mark Zuckerberg sells $95 mn Facebook shares for charity

To fund his family's philanthropic initiative, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg last week sold his company shares worth $95 million for the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan in December 2015 pledged to donate 99% of their Facebook shares to the initiative, which funds companies working in the health, science and education space.

Facebook testing new feature to find nearby Wi-Fi

Facebook is currently testing a new feature with select users on its app that helps them to find Wi-Fi hotspots near their location. The option is available under the hamburger menu, which includes Pages, Nearby Friends, Nearby Places and other options. Previously, Facebook had asked business Pages to list Wi-Fi locations at their physical addresses.

Time has come to ramp up offline sales: Xiaomi India head

Electronics major Xiaomi India's director Manu Jain said that with nearly 90% of its sales in India from online marketplaces, time has come to "ramp up offline sales." In this regard, Xiaomi has introduced a new model of distribution called direct-to-retailer, which eliminates intermediaries, Jain added. Notably, Xiaomi reached 20 lakh units' sales in September quarter for the first time.

Apple to replace iPhone 6s battery for free to fix shutdown

Apple has acknowledged some iPhone 6s handsets are shutting down unexpectedly and said the batteries of the affected devices will be replaced for free. Apple believes that only some devices manufactured between September and October 2015, have been affected. Notably, some iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are facing 'touch disease' that causes a flickering grey bar and reduces touchscreen responsiveness.

Edge browser safer than Google Chrome, Firefox: Microsoft

Microsoft has introduced a new set of Windows Tips that inform Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox users on Windows 10 that the company's own Edge is a “safer” web browser. The new Windows Tips for Windows 10 users began in early November. In July, Microsoft prompted its users that Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox drains their laptop’s battery.

Amazon adds X-ray feature to iOS app to 'see' inside boxes

Amazon has added a 'Package X-ray' feature to its iPhone app to let users 'see' what's inside their packages without opening them. Users can only scan the barcode on the packages which have been ordered using their Amazon account to view a list of all its contents. Amazon claims this will help users keep track of packaged Christmas presents.

Company loses ₹70L after eagles destroy its drones mid-air

An Australian mine surveying company has lost around ₹70 lakh after eagles knocked down nine of its drones used for the aerial survey of mines. The company painted the drones to look like baby eagles and carried out nearly 50 successful drone flights. However, the eagles soon figured out the truth and started attacking the drones again.

Facebook announces its first stock buyback for $6 billion

Facebook on Friday announced that it will buy back $6 billion (over ₹40,000 crore) in shares in its first-ever stock repurchase. The social media giant's shares rose 1% in after-hours trading following the news. Among the top 10 US technology companies, ranked by cash and marketable securities, Facebook is reportedly the only one that has not bought back stock yet.

Zuckerberg details plan to tackle fake news in Facebook post

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg published a post explaining what the social media company is doing to tackle the issue of fake news on its platform on Saturday."Historically, we have relied on our community to help us understand what is fake and what is not," he wrote. Zuckerberg also listed active projects like "third party verification" and removing "financially motivated spam".

Apple limiting download speeds of some iPhone 7s: Report

A Bloomberg report claims that Apple is purposely limiting the performance of iPhone 7 devices, resulting in loss of download speed. The iPhone 7 versions with a Qualcomm modem chip can download data at 600 mbps, while those with an Intel modem have a speed of 450 mbps. The move will reportedly ensure a uniform iPhone experience across all devices.

Infosys invests ₹14.5 crore in Danish AI start-up

Infosys has invested ₹14.5 crore from its “innovation fund” in UNSILO, a Danish artificial intelligence start-up on advanced text analysis. This is Infosys’ 11th investment in a start-up from its $500 million innovation fund and fourth in 2016. "We will partner with UNSILO to bring their artificial intelligence and machine learning technology to our... clients, " an Infosys official said.

Company creates system to help pilot's brain control a plane

USA's Honeywell Aerospace has modified a plane which enables it to be operated with a neuro-transmitting elastic cap, worn over the head by the pilot. The pilot wears the cap, which houses 32 electrodes, and manoeuvres the plane by focusing on the direction symbols on a screen. The brain's electrical activity is transmitted to the plane's control system.

Man makes touchscreen mirror that texts, play movies

Designer Rafael Dymek has made a smart fully touchscreen mirror based on iOS 10, that is able to text, play songs, movies, browse the internet and even order an Uber ride. Called the 'Apple Mirror', the mirror shuts itself off after 45 seconds of inactivity and shows reflections like a regular mirror.

Pixel's ₹3,400 case shows live images from Google Earth

Google has launched a ₹3,400 ($50) phone case for its Pixel handset, which shows live images from Google Earth on the handset. From the ice formations of Antarctica to the beaches of the South Pacific, the case sets select images as wallpapers. A button on the wallpaper lets users explore the location in more detail on the Google Maps app.

Basket made to charge phones and keep bread warm

American baked goods brand Sister Schubert's has created an electronic bread basket to keep its contents warm and simultaneously charge phones. The basket can be used to charge up to five devices at a time using USB ports. While pricing for the basket has not been revealed, it will be part of the company's 'Make All Dinners Warm' campaign.

Huawei announces new tablets with 3 year old software

Chinese electronics company Huawei on Thursday announced two new tablets that will ship with Android's three year old KitKat software. The 7-inch and 9.6-inch 'MediaPad T1' tablets will cost $99 (₹6,750) and $159 (₹10,800) respectively. The devices have only 1 GB of RAM and an expandable storage of up to 32 GB.

Reliance Global launches international calling app

Reliance Global Call has launched an international calling app "RGC India" which allows direct-dialling of contacts, doing away with the need to enter toll-free or PIN numbers. It also announced an introductory offer wherein customers can avail talk-time worth ₹200 on sign-up with ₹100. This is available to mobile and landline users of India on networks like Reliance and Airtel.

₹340 device hacks password-protected computers in 30 seconds

American security researcher Samy Kamkar has built a ₹340 device named 'PoisonTap', that he claims can get access to a password-protected computer in 30 seconds. The device uses a free software and a Raspberry Pi Zero microcomputer. On connecting the device to a computer's USB port, the lock screen is bypassed and a backdoor to access the computer is created.

Google starts showing nearest ATM on its homepage

In the wake of the government's demonetisation move, Google India has added an 'Find an ATM near you' feature on its homepage that tells users the nearest ATMs from their location. The feature, available just below the Google Search bar, only tells users the directions to reach the nearest ATM and does not provide any information on the cash availability.

Telangana signs MoU with Microsoft for digital services

Hyderabad, Nov 16 (PTI) Telangana government today signed an MoU with Microsoft Corporation India wherein Microsoft will help the government to explore cloud, machine learning and mobile-based solutions to improve citizen services, education, healthcare and agriculture in the state.

At the MoU signing event, Telangana IT Secretary Jayesh Ranjan said, "Telangana government believes that ICT is the key to building not only a stronger economy but also an efficient and effective governance system."

"Through this partnership of ours with Microsoft, we are confident about bringing in advanced solutions pertaining to our initiatives under Digital Telangana programme." Ranjan added.

Microsoft India (R&D) Managing Director Anil Bhansali said, "Over the past year, we have experimented with cloud, mobile and machine learning based solutions for better citizen connect as well as to help students, farmers and patients in India."

"We are delighted to bring many of those learning to Telangana and explore new use for these world-class technologies."As per the MoU, Microsoft India will work with Telangana government to support the development of cloud and mobile-based solutions and support the use of machine learning and advanced visualisation to help solve challenges in the fields of education, agriculture and healthcare, according to an release.

"Telangana government has been an ardent promoter of ICT solutions, particularly in the fields of agriculture, citizen service delivery, education and healthcare. Having crossed the magical figure of 7 crore online transactions through MeeSeva, the government is miles ahead of other states with its robust citizen service delivery platform," added Jayesh.

The State has also launched an innovative ICT enabled solution for government schools called TS-CLASS (Telangana State Computer Literacy and Skills in Schools) to revolutionize the way students are taught.

Microsoft joins Linux 15 yrs after ex-CEO called it ‘cancer’

Once archenemies, Microsoft has blown everyone away by joining Linux; and in a surprising move joins Google as well. Microsoft has Satya Nadella written all over it now. It no longer is a Steve Ballmer company. At the Microsoft Connect conference for software developers in New York, the company’s executive vice president Scott Guthrie along with Linux Foundation president Jim Zemlin, announced that Microsoft is joining Linux. This news might have been unthinkable a decade back, as both the companies had completely different set of beliefs. As closed was Microsoft with its Windows OS, its nemesis changed the game with an open-source OS.

The tech giant also announced that Google will join a committee of the independent .NET Foundation too. Google is Microsoft’s rival in applications and cloud services. The .NET Foundation promotes the usage of the company’s .NET software development tech. The Foundation had other member companies like Samsung and RedHat. Google has earlier brought tools in order to help .NET developers to work using Google Cloud Platform. The late decision might be a result of Microsoft’s previous CEO Steve Ballmer viewing open source software like Linux an existential threat. Ballmer, once in the year 2001, called Linux as a ‘cancer’. He said, “Linux is cancer that attaches itself in an intellectual property sense to everything it touches.”

These moves by Microsoft, clearly indicate the big change from Steve Ballmer to Satya Nadella. Since then Microsoft has invested in a lot of non-Microsoft technologies, even joining the Eclipse Foundation, which is an important open-source institution. Interesting, after Microsoft softened its stance on open-source, this year even Ballmer said that now he loves Linux and even congratulated the current CEO. It is an undeniable fact that developers love to work on Linux platform, and though late, Microsoft is finally realising the need to join it, and want them to work on Microsoft Azure Cloud. Linux is an open source software which essentially means free or almost free, while Windows a proprietary software package costs money.

Microsoft partners with Elon Musk-backed AI non-profit

On its own front, Microsoft has been keen to get more folks developing AI, enough to recently open-source the deep learning tools it used to build Skype Translate and Cortana for users to train their own AI. It's also opened its arms to other tech companies, partnering with Google, Amazon, IBM and Facebook in a coalition to trumpet the benefits of AI and agree on best practices. The initiative left out the Elon Musk and Peter Thiel-backed OpenAI, a research project dedicated to democratizing artificial intelligence. But today, the non-profit announced a separate team-up with Microsoft to run large-scale experiments on the software giant's Azure cloud platform.

Azure's open-sourced tools appealed to the non-profit, as well as its computation-boosting Batch and machine learning capabilities, Microsoft said in a blog post. The partnership also nets OpenAI early use of the software giant's GPU-based Azure N-series virtual machines, which will be opened for general use next month.   

It's not the first AI partnership, nor the only one to rely on cloud-based systems to run computations, but Microsoft is devoting plenty of development to boost Azure's appeal. While their current N-series virtual machines run on Nvidia Tesla GPUs, those will be replaced by next-generation Pascal-based GPUs in the near future.    

Microsoft is also announcing its new Azure Bot Service, which aims to let developers speed up development of bots within the software giant's Bot Framework and manage them in a server less Azure environment, according to Microsoft.

Asia’s most valuable tech company posts $1.5bn in net profit

Tencent, Asia’s most valuable tech company, posted another healthy profit thanks to its growing mobile messaging app WeChat and its mobile games business.

The company reported a net profit of RMB 10.6 billion ($1.5 billion), up 43 percent year-on-year, on revenue of RMB 40.4 billion ($6 billion), up 52 percent, for Q3 2016. That was around analyst’s estimates of RMB 10.9 billion profit on revenue of RMB 39.3 billion, according to an S&P Capital IQ poll via Wall Street Journal.

Tencent just turned 18, a milestone it celebrating by giving employees $220 million in shares, yet it is best known for WeChat, its blockbuster messaging app known as Weixin in China, which was created just five years ago.

WeChat now counts 846 million users per month, which is up 30 percent year-on-year and a decent increase on 806 million MAUs in the previous quarter. WeChat pulled its weigh on the business side by helping Tencent’s advertising business, its fastest-growing monetization stream, continue positive growth.

Total online ad revenue came in at RMB 7.5 billion, up 51 percent on Q2 2015, with “performance marketing” sales jumping by 83 percent to hit RMB 4.4 billion. Tencent said advertising in the timeline of WeChat, its mobile news app and revenue from official accounts for brands inside WeChat, were the key drivers.

Mobile games remain Tencent’s biggest revenue generator and a primary focus for investment, as evidenced by its acquisition of SuperCell, the maker of hugely popular Clash of Clans, in June.

Tencent’s mobile games business accounted for RMB 9.9 billion of revenue in Q3 2016, that’s up 87 percent annually and a large chunk of the RMB 18.2 billion that Tencent’s total gaming business — PC and mobile — clocked in the quarter. PC gaming remains a large part of that total, but its revenues grew just 10 percent year-on-year.

Earlier this year, Tencent revealed the first figures for its WePay mobile payments service, which sits inside WeChat and was seeing $50 billion in bank transfers flow across its platform per month. The company didn’t break out specific payment data this time around, but it did say that WePay and its cloud service pushed “revenues from our others businesses” up 348 percent to RMB 5 billion in the quarter.

“Our smart phone games and social performance advertising businesses reported above-industry YoY revenue growth rates and continued to generate healthy margins. Meanwhile, our ecosystem infrastructure services such as online payment and cloud-based services saw significant progress in adoption and usage,” Chairman and CEO Pony Ma said in a statement.

WhatsApp launches free video calling for all users

WhatsApp messenger on Monday officially launched a free video calling feature on its platform for iOS, Android and Windows users. The option will be available under the WhatsApp call button and will also allow switching between front and rear cameras. WhatsApp, which was bought by social media giant Facebook in 2014 for $22 billion, claims over a billion monthly users.

China threatens iPhone sales cut if Trump begins trade war

In a Communist party-controlled newspaper, China today threatened to cut iPhone sales in the country if US President-elect Donald Trump wrecks Sino-US trade. “Making things difficult for China politically will do him no good", it added. During his campaign, Trump repeatedly lashed out at China and said to impose 45% tariffs on Chinese imports.

Nike's 5-storey NY store to have hi-tech basketball court

Nike is set to open a five-storey store in New York, which will have a hi-technology basketball court with sensors to capture body movements and display those on a big screen. The store's escalators will have LED panels to display information and special messages. It will also have 3D-printed decorations, personalisation studio for on-demand orders, and self-lacing shoes.

Asus Zenfone 3 Max with 4,100 mAh battery to launch on Nov 9

Asus will announce its Zenfone 3 Max smartphone with a big 4,100 mAh battery on November 9. Asus Zenfone 3 Max is expected to feature a metal unibody with 2.5D curved glass design. Asus Zenfone 3 Max will be an addition to company’s Zenfone 3 series, which comprises of smartphones such as Asus Zenfone 3, Zenfone 3 Ultra and Zenfoen 3 Deluxe. The battery the Zenfone 3 Max is said to provide 38 days of standby time and 17 hours of talktime. Asus Zenfone 3 Max will support reverse charging and will double up as a power bank to charge other devices as well. It will support 4G VoLTE.

Asus Zenfone 3 Max will feature a 5.2-inch full HD display. It is said to be powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 with Adreno 505 graphics performance. It will come with 3GB RAM and 32GB internal memory (expandable up to 128GB via microSD card). Asus is expected to launch another variant of Zenfone 3 Max on the basis of storage.

Asus Zenfone 3 Max will sport a 16MP primary camera with PDAF, laser autofocus and f/2.0 aperture. The front camera is 8MP and comes with Beautification modes. Both front and rear camera will be able to shoot videos in Full HD resolution. Asus Zenfone 3 Max will feature a rear fingerprint scanner. It will support wi-fi 802.11 b/g/n, wi-fi Direct, Bluetooth v4.1, GPS and AGPS.

Asus Zenfone 3 Max will run Android v6.0.1 Marshmallow with ZenUI 3.0 OS on top. It is a dual SIM smartphone that comes with a hybrid SIM slot. It supports micro and nano SIM cards. The Zenfone 3 Max will be available in titanium gray, glacier silver and sand gold colour variants.

New Virtual Reality System Lets You 'Feel' Rain

Washington: Disney Research has developed a 360-degree virtual reality application using a unique chair to provide full body sensations that enables users to add customisable "feel effects" such as falling rain or a beating heart.

"Virtual reality has seen a renaissance in recent years as advancements in computer graphics, computing platforms and the seamless flow of information between hardware and software have come together in a powerful way," said Ali Israr, senior research engineer at Disney Research Pittsburgh in the US.

"Our team is working to make VR haptic sensations just as rich as the 360-degree visual media now available," he said. 

"Current VR systems provide 'buzz-like' haptic sensations through hand controllers. But technology exists for much richer sensations," Mr Israr said.

"We've created a framework that would enable users to select from a wide range of meaningful sensations that can be adjusted to complement the visual scene and to play them through a variety of haptic feedback devices," he said.

The haptic playback and authoring plug-in developed by the researchers connects a VR game engine to a custom haptic device. It allows users to create, personalise and associate haptic feedback to the events triggered in the VR game engine.

The haptic definition app, called VR360HD, was developed and tested using a consumer headset and Disney Research's haptic chair.

The chair features a grid of six vibrotactile actuators in its back and two subwoofers, or "shakers," in the seat and back.

The grid produces localised moving sensations in the back, while the subwoofers shake two different regions of the body and can create a sensation of motion.

Users were able to select from a library of feel effects, also assembled and tested by Disney Research.

These feel effects are identified with common terms such as rain, pulsing or rumbling, and can be adjusted so that people can distinguish, for instance, between a light sprinkle and a heavy downpour.

Indian languages support on mobiles mandatory from Jul '17

The Government has made the support for Indian languages mandatory in all mobile phones to be sold in the country from July 2017. The new standard mandates mobile phone companies to provide message typing facility in English, Hindi and a regional language. Further, text reading support would have to be provided in all Indian languages.

Google parent Alphabet hides math joke in earnings report

While announcing its earnings for the quarter ended September, Google's parent firm Alphabet announced that it will repurchase $7,019,340,976.83 worth of its stock. The amount equals the number of letters in the English alphabet, 26, multiplied by mathematical constant "e" and $1 million. Alphabet is known to hide math puzzles in its earnings report and acquisition bids.

Apple launches smartwatch with Nike at ₹32,900

Apple on Thursday launched the Apple Watch Nike+ which pairs the Apple Watch Series 2 with a Nike Sport band. The GPS-enabled smartwatch can track different movements like running, biking, yoga, class-based fitness sessions and weights. The smartwatch costs ₹32,900 for the version with a 38mm dial and ₹34,900 for the larger 42mm variant.

Teen arrested for hack that made iPhones dial 911 non-stop

An 18-year-old iPhone app developer was arrested in US on charges of computer tampering after he published a web link on Twitter that caused iPhones to repeatedly dial emergency service number 911. Police said that a 911 centre had received over 100 calls "within a matter of minutes." The bug can reportedly also be used to flood iPhones with pop-ups.

Pixel Phone Users Report Bluetooth Pairing Issues With Cars

Google launched the Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones earlier this month, and the demand for the smartphones have exceeded the company's expectations. We found the smartphone to be quite impressive (Review) as well. However, as users have begun to use the smartphone in their everyday lives, reports of glitches are now cropping up. Apparently, many Pixel phone users claim that they are having trouble pairing their smartphones with in-car entertainment systems.

Many users have taken to the Pixel Community to report the Bluetooth bug. The new Google Pixel andGoogle Pixel XL smartphones are having trouble pairing with many cars. In some cases, the smartphones get connected and even play audio easily, but disconnect when placing a phone call. In other cases, the smartphone have difficulty in connecting, and even if they connect, they soon drop off for no apparent reason.

Google is aware about the issue, and has even reached out to the affected people. This issue first cropped up with Nexus phones when Marshmallow was rolled out, and a software update fixed the issue later. This leads us to believe that the issue could have cropped up with thenew Android 7.1 Nougat update, and because some Nexus users are also reporting similar issues; a software fix is all that may be required to solve the problem. While the problem is spread across different car companies, most issues are reported by General Motors vehicle owners.

One big advantage for Pixel owners is that they don't have to wait for OEMs to push out the update, and will receive it directly from Google as soon as it's ready with the fix. Apart from this bug, some Pixel phone users have also reported a lens flare issue in photos when taken under certain lighting conditions. Google has acknowledged this issue as well, and has promised a fix in the coming weeks.

A  similar issue was also reported by iphone7 and d iphone7 Plus users earlier this month, where many users reported spotty Bluetooth connectivity with their car systems. iOS 10 was also blamed for this bug, and the latest iOS 10.1 release notes also include "improvements in Bluetooth connectivity with third-party accessories".

 

B'luru: ATM that dispenses gold coins set up for Diwali

Online jewellery company BlueStone, on the occasion of Diwali, has set up an ATM in Bengaluru which dispenses gold coins instead of money. The machine dispenses coins from 1 gram to 20 grams at market rates. Users can either pay by cash or by credit or debit card. With the coin, the machine also delivers a certificate of purity.

InFocus launches the Epic series of premium smartphones with Epic1

InFocus has launched a new series of premium smartphones ‘Epic’, with Epic1 being the premier. It is the most affordable 10-core processor smartphone in India at ₹12,999. Available exclusively on Amazon, Epic1 is one of the best buys for selfie lovers with its 1.8F low light 8MP lens, says the company. Epic1 also has a 360-degree recognition based fingerprint sensor.

Intel invests ₹254 crore in 12 startups worldwide

The world’s biggest chip maker, Intel on Monday announced that it has invested over ₹254 crore in 12 startups. The startups focus on solutions for seniors and disabled people using the Internet of Things or making everyday objects smart and connected. Since 1991, Intel has invested ₹78,000 crore in 1,458 startups worldwide.

Xiaomi unveils Mi Note 2 with curved screen display

Chinese electronics maker Xiaomi on Tuesday unveiled its Mi Note 2 smartphone in China starting at about $413 (approx ₹27,600). Powered by a Snapdragon 821 processor, the phone features a 5.7-inch curved display, 4,070 mAh battery, 22.56 MP primary and 8 MP front camera. The base model of the phone has 4 GB RAM and 64 GB internal memory.

US robots beat Australian rivals in football championship

A team of robots developed by the University of Texas on Monday beat the team from Australia's University of New South Wales 7-3 in a game of football during China's 2016 World Robot Conference. Robot football matches have been played since the mid-1990s and the 'RoboCup' used humanoid robots about 23 inches tall developed by French company Aldebaran Robotics.

11-yr-old Linux OS bug grants full access to any user

A vulnerability attack on an 11-year-old flaw in the Linux operating system, that grants any user exploiting it unauthorised access privileges, has reportedly been found. Dubbed as "Dirty COW," the bug can break memory operations in the Linux kernel. Experts have warned that the bug could be used to gain root server access.

Google buys eye-tracking startup for new VR headset

Google has acquired US-based eye-tracking startup Eyefluence to reportedly integrate the technology in its new Virtual Reality (VR) headset. Eyefluence enables users wearing head-mounted VR glasses to use their eyes as a mouse and make selections only with their eye movements. Founded in 2013, the startup had raised a total of $21.6 million (over ₹144 crore) from two funding rounds.

Map shows Google's autocomplete suggestions for capitals

A map posted by a Reddit user shows Google's autocomplete suggestions for select capitals of Indian states like 'When will McDonald's open in Patna' and 'When will Mumbai sink' among others. When a user types 'When will (capital of any state)' on Google Search, the search engine's autocompleting feature comes up with various suggestions.

Dubai to get robot police assistants by 2017

Dubai Police, IBM, and Google have developed a 'Robocop' prototype that was unveiled a Dubai's annual electronic trade show recently. The virtual assistant system uses Artificial Intelligence and can spot people from 10-20 metres of distance, approach them, and greet them. It is expected to be deployed at tourist attractions like Burj Khalifa by 2017, Dubai Police said.

BlackBerry launches its last phone at ₹33,000

Canadian phone maker BlackBerry, which announced to stop making phones last month, on Tuesday launched its last phone 'DTEK60' at ₹33,000. The Android Marshmallow-based handset features company's largest display to date of 5.5-inch, a 21 MP rear camera, a fingerprint sensor, and BlackBerry's security software. It rivals the size of the latest iPhone 7 Plus and Google Pixel XL smartphones.

WhatsApp Video Calling is Now Live on Android & its Working

After months of rumors and leaks, the video calling option is finally live on WhatsApp Android app. But as of now its only limited to the latest beta app with the version 2.16.318. A couple of days back, it was first spotted on the beta version of the Windows Phone app. As earlier rumors suggested the full-fledged app with video calling might first go live on iOS. Whereas the voice calling that was introduced, last year came first on Android platform. To make a video call, both the users need to be on the latest beta version, if not it shows the “couldn’t place call” error.

Since it’s in beta, the more features can be added to the final update or the upcoming beta versions. As of now, there is a separate video calling button, you need to click on phone icon which earlier makes a voice call, but now its shows voice call and video call options. While on a video call, the user can switch the camera, mute the audio, and send a message; but sending a message will pause the video call. In case the user at the other end rejected the voice call, you get three options – cancel, call again, and record a voice message. These are the same options that are available even when the voice call is declined.

In May this year, we had exclusively posted about the WhatsApp video calling going live on Android. While there is an option to make a video call on that particular beta app, the feature was disabled at the server end, and even the option are removed in the next update. Talking about the call quality, it is not comparable with same experience what you get on Google Duo. The video will be paused in the middle even with a good internet connection, and the audio quality is not as good as a voice call. And importantly the WhatsApp video call doesn’t come with ‘Knock Knock’  feature where the video preview of the caller will be shown even before answering.

Report claims iPhone 8 will feature a revolutionary new design that no one saw coming

Next year, Apple is expected to release a completely redesigned iPhone 8 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the original iPhone. Following three consecutive years of seeing the same design reused in the iPhone 6, iPhone 6s and iPhone 7, Apple is expected to make dramatic changes to the appearance of its next-generation iPhone, and to the technology included inside the device. Previous reports have stated that the new iPhone 8 will feature an OLED display that covers almost all of the phone’s face, and the home button and fingerprint scanner will be embedded beneath the screen. The phone is also expected to have a glass back instead of aluminum, and metal will surround the outer edges as it did on the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4.

According to a new report, however, these claims have it all wrong and the iPhone 8’s new design will be unlike anything the world has ever seen.

Samsung has a new deal for Note7 owners in Korea: Return it and get a half-price Note8

Samsung has an interesting deal for Note7 owners in South Korea: Replace the device with a Galaxy S7 or S7 Edge now, and get a Galaxy S8 or Galaxy Note8 phone next year for half the price. 

All Samsung Note7 phones have been recalled due to an issue that causes the battery to overheat and, sometimes, catch fire. The phone has been discontinued, and there is no further support for it, but despite Samsung's pleas for customers to return it, there are still hundreds of thousands of unreturned Note7 phones out there. 

Samsung's new plan is currently only live in South Korea, and will be carried out by the end of November. However, the Korea Herald claims a similar upgrade program will follow in other countries. 

The offer itself sounds interesting, especially for early adopters, but it's risky. Anyone that agrees will basically be paying for a device they know nothing about — and even though you get it at half the price, the S8 or even the Note8 might not be to your liking. 

The thing is, we don't know anything about these phones — or their batteries — right now. Not a single spec has been announced, or even leaked at this point. The S8 is slated to arrive in February or March of 2017, but that hasn't been confirmed either; there's no rumors as to when the company might launch the Note8. 

And even though the arrival of new Samsung flagships next year isn't hard to guess, it's rare for a company like Samsung to even acknowledge the existence of a new flagship phone this far ahead.