Monday, December 31, 2018
NASA Spacecraft Zooms Towards the Farthest World Ever Photographed
Real-time video of the actual flyby is impossible, since it takes more six hours for a signal sent from Earth to reach the spaceship, named New Horizons. http://bit.ly/2SvJmbM
Best Mobile Phones Under Rs. 15,000 [January 2019]
Best mobile phones in India under Rs. 15,000 - the top rated phones under 15000 by Gadgets 360. http://bit.ly/2EZqpu7
Nancy Grace Roman, Astronomer Celebrated as 'Mother' of Hubble, Dies at 93
Roman, who was celebrated as a trailblazer for female scientists and a driving force behind advances including the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, died Dec. 25 at a hospital in Germantown,... http://bit.ly/2s1cXhx
BSNL, Vodafone Idea Discontinue 'Blackout Days' on December 31 and in 2019
Reliance Jio is offering "no blackout days" to its customers since its launch back in September 2016. http://bit.ly/2AngcEy
Google Brings Inbuilt Spam Protection to Messages App
Google has begun rolling out its spam protection feature to its Messages app on Android after almost over six months of developing it. http://bit.ly/2GM7fdF
UPSSSC 2019 – Tube Well Operator Exam Date Announced
Uttar Pradesh Subordinate Services Selection Commission (UPSSSC),has released exam date for Tubewell Operator of Advt No.15 (3)/2016.
Assam Police Recruitment 2019 – Apply Online for 756 Grade III & IV Posts
Assam Police recruits 490 Sub Inspector (UB) Posts. Candidates with Any Degree can apply online from 23-10-2018 to 12-11-2018.
RVUNL 2018 – Steno DV Admit Card Download
Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Ltd (RVUNL) released mains exam result for the post of Stenographer.
Northern Railway Recruitment 2019 – Apply Online for 1132 Apprentice & Other Posts
Northern Railway recruits 19 Scouts & Guides Quota Posts. Candidates with 10+2, ITI can apply online from 31-12-2018 to 30-01-2019.
RRB JE, DMS & CMA Posts Selection Procedure
Here providing selection procedure for Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) Junior Engineer, Depot Material Superintendent, Chemical & Metallurgical Assistant, Senior Section Engineer and Chief Depot Material Superintendent Vacancies.
Kerala PSC Recruitment 2019 – Apply Online for 162 Manager, Asst & Other Posts
Kerala Public Service Commission recruits 162 Asst, Curator & Other Posts. Candidates with 7th Class, SSLC, ITI, Any Degree, PG Can apply online on or before 30-01-2019.
RRB JE, DMS & CMA Posts Syllabus Details
Here providing syllabus for Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) Junior Engineer, Sr Section Engineer, Depot Material Superintendent, Chief Depot Material Superintendent, Chemical & Metallurgical Assistant Posts.
Microsoft Surface Go Starts Shipping in India, Starts at Rs. 38,599
Microsoft Surface Go, the Redmond giant's smallest and most affordable Surface device yet, started shipping in India on Monday exclusively through Flipkart. http://bit.ly/2CHRgsU
Apple iPhone XS Max explodes in mans pocket
Highlights: iPhone XS Max catches fire in an Ohio man’s trouser pocket The phone dissipated heat and coloured smoke The victim is “contemplating legal action” Apple is going through a difficult time. Its products have been banned for import and sale in China and Germany. It is at loggerheads with chipmaker Qualcomm and is reportedly struggling and their recent update apparently left iPhone users in a lull after several of them reported that they were no longer able to use LTE on their new iPhones. Now, an iPhone XS Max has reportedly exploded in a man’s trousers in the US, putting too much in Apple’s plate to finish. According to a report by PhoneArena, an Ohio man escaped an unfortunate incident when his three-week-old iPhone XS Max (unidentified variant) exploded while it was in his pocket. Josh Hillard says that his phone was in his rear trouser pocket when it randomly began to dissipate “a large amount of heat” as well as green and yellow coloured smoke. By the time Hillard went to a private spot to check it, the phone had caught fire. The fire left the owner unhappy as he inhaled a lot of smoke “from the time of first noticing the fire and between removal of the pants and taking the phone out of my pocket and placing it outside.” The psychological trauma forced him to contact Apple customer service and safety department specialists, both in person and by phone. Reportedly, he has been offered a new phone as reimbursement. The report said that the victim doesn’t consider this to be an acceptable way of settling this unfortunate affair, and is said to be “contemplating legal action” for this. This is not the first time that iPhones have faced such demise. In November, a user complained that his iPhone X spewed smoke while he was charging and updating the device to iOS 12.1. In January, a man was injured when the battery of an iPhone exploded at an Apple Store in Zurich. The Apple iPhone XS Max was launched in September at a starting price of $1099 (or Rs 1,09,900 in India) and goes up to $1449 (or Rs 1,44,900 in India) for the top-end model. It comes with A12 Bionic processor and a massive 6.5-inch AMOLED display, which is the biggest display that Apple has ever offered. It has a dual 12MP+12MP (Wide Angle + Telephoto) sensors at the back and a True Depth 7MP camera on the front. Related Read: People evacuated as iPad battery explodes in Amsterdam Apple Store Apple iPhone XS Max: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
http://bit.ly/2Aq62D9
Samsung reportedly working on smaller, more affordable smart speaker
Key Highlights: Even though the recently announced Galaxy Home speaker is yet to become available, Samsung is reportedly working on a second smart speaker The model number revealed indicates the speaker will be smaller and more affordable than the present one. The weirdly shaped Samsung Galaxy Home speaker powered by Bixby was announced alongside the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 back in August. Yet, five months after its announcement, the speaker’s status is still “coming soon” on the Samsung website. Meanwhile, another smart speaker is reportedly being developed by Samsung. All that is known so far is that the new Galaxy Home speaker will be offered in a black colour finish and will carry the model number SM-V310. Compared with the present Galaxy Speaker’s model number, SM-V510, it seems like the one under development will be a smaller speaker. It could also be more affordable than one announced so far, although the price is still not disclosed. The Galaxy Home speaker that Samsung announced earlier has a combination of AKG-tuned speakers, 8-piece far-field microphones, and Bixby AI. Perhaps the smaller speaker will have a smaller microphone array minus the AKG branding, but everything at this point is conjecture at best. Samsung does have something lined up for CES, which is due to begin on 8th January in Las Vegas. Perhaps that’s when the company will reveal more about the speaker. At CES, Samsung is expected to announce new TVs and displays along with other smart home appliances. The flagship Galaxy S10 series, however, is expected to launch on February 20th, five days before MWC commences in Barcelona. The smart speaker market is currently dominated by Amazon’s Alexa-powered devices and Google Home speakers. Both companies offer products across a broad price range. Microsoft too announced a Cortana-powered smart speaker while HomePod is Apple’s offering in the smart speaker space. The market for smart speakers, according to IDC is expected to grow in double-digits and by 2022. Over 1.3 billion smart home products are expected to be sold. Related Links: Samsung working on a Bixby-powered speaker codenamed 'Vega': WSJ
http://bit.ly/2SvG4VY
Der Spiegel: Volkswagen is planning to write off over $300M it invested in Gett, as the Israeli startup struggles to compete with Uber, Lyft, Didi, and others (Globes Online)
Der Spiegel: Volkswagen is planning to write off over $300M it invested in Gett, as the Israeli startup struggles to compete with Uber, Lyft, Didi, and others — “Der Spiegel” reported that Volkswagen would write off its over $300 million investment in the Israeli taxi hailing company.
Facebook Says Not Moderating Content Based on 'Inaccurate' Information
Facebook said on Saturday said the debate on content moderation should be based on facts not mischaracterisations. http://bit.ly/2QbRDzC
Huawei Share in Global Premium Smartphone Market Rises: Counterpoint
Apple led the global premium smartphone segment capturing 47 percent share of the segment, followed by Samsung (22 percent), and Huawei (12 percent). http://bit.ly/2CGRAs1
Essential PH-1 discontinued, company reportedly working on its next mobile product
Key Highlights: The Essential Phone is now out of stock across multiple retail locations A company spokesperson said the phone will not be restocked, indicating it is now discontinued Essential is now working hard on its next mobile product and will continue to support the PH-1 with regular updates and accessories The Essential Phone (or PH-1) may have seen the last light of the day. The “modular” smartphone created by Android co-founder Andy Rubin is now out of stock on its website, and according to the company, it won’t be restocked. The PH-1 came with flagship hardware, regular updates and was the first phone to sport a notch. However, it often found itself painted negatively in the news what with delayed availability, job cuts and more. Eventually, it had to be heavily discounted to ensure the inventories are cleared. It was noticed earlier that the PH-1 was out of stock across multiple retail locations including the company’s own website. There was also a recent Fire Sale where the 128GB storage variant of the phone was offered at $340, a sharp $160 fall from its regular $500 price. Many presumed this was done to clear remaining inventories. Now, the company has confirmed the phone will not be restocked. Instead, Essential will be working on the “next mobile product”. However, the PH-1 will continue to be supported by regular updates and accessories. “We are sold out of Essential Phone on essential.com and won’t be adding any new inventory. We are now hard at work on our next mobile product and will continue to sell accessories and provide speedy software updates and customer support to our existing community,” an Essential spokesperson told 9to5Google. The fact that the Essential phone is being retired shouldn’t come as much of a shock. The phone which failed to come to India in its lifetime, was shrouded in controversies. Many complained it’s minimalist take on Android wasn’t enough. The phone was also mired with a lot of bugs. However, the company did continue to support the phone with regular updates with the PH-1 becoming one of the first phones to receive the update to Android 9 Pie. It’s also unclear as to what the “next mobile product” will be from Essential. There have been some rumours about an AI-phone from the company. The company recently acquired CloudMagic, which might allow the upcoming phone to intelligently respond to texts and emails on behalf of the user. Related Links: Essential PH-1 successor to come with an improved camera Essential Phone against competition: What's Andy Rubin's phone about? Essential Phone could soon launch in India as an Amazon exclusive smartphone at Rs 24,999: Report 
http://bit.ly/2St0tLh
Apples discounted battery replacement program for iPhones ends today
Highlights: Apple’s battery replacement program ends today The company is offering battery replacement at reduced prices Apple will charge as low as Rs 2,000 for installing fresh batteries on your old iPhones last year, Apple announced its battery replacement program after it admitted throttling the performance on older iPhones whose batteries were degraded. The company is charging Rs 2,000 instead of the usual Rs 8,200 for replacing the batteries. Under this program, the iPhone 6, iPhone 6s, iPhone SE, iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus smartphones are eligible for getting the battery replaced at a lowered price. The offer also extends to the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X, however, with iOS 12.1, the company introduced a new ‘Battery Health’ option that enables one to find out the maximum capacity of an iPhone's battery. Do note that the discounted pricing is valid only till December 31 and today is the last day to avail benefit of the discounted pricing. This is probably the final call for affected users to get their iPhone battery replaced at a discounted price. Do note that battery service at the reduced pricing may be limited to one repair per iPhone and in case your device needs some other repairs done before replacement of the battery, the user might be charged for the other repairs as well. To recall, in December last year, the smartphone manufacturer had to bear the brunt of its disgruntled customers when they found out about that Apple slowed down older iPhones. “We've been hearing feedback from our customers about the way we handle performance for iPhones with older batteries and how we have communicated that process. We know that some of you feel Apple has let you down. We apologize,” the company stated on its website. As mentioned above, Apple introduced Performance Management feature with its iOS 12.1 update. The feature is integrated with the software and enables one to lower their device’s performance in case the battery has deteriorated beyond a point. This option enables users, who have iPhones with degraded batteries, to not have their phones switch off unexpectedly. Apple said that future iPhones don’t need this feature, but it since the Performance Management feature was rolled out to iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and the iPhone X, it seems that the company does not want to take any chances. Related Reads: Apple issues formal apology for slowing down iPhones 
http://bit.ly/2Aq2IIb
Fitbit Charge 3 With 7-Day Battery Life Goes on Sale in India Tomorrow
The Fitbit Charge 3 features an elevated, premium swim-proof design with a touchscreen display, over 15 goal-based exercise modes, up to 7 days of battery life, http://bit.ly/2ApgHOk
Flipkart Qualcomm Days Sale Offers Discounts on These Smartphones
Flipkart's 'Qualcomm Days' sale brings offers on popular Snapdragon-powered smartphones on Flipkart. http://bit.ly/2R3nY0P
Star Trek, Kimmy Schmidt, The Punisher, and More on Netflix in January
Star Trek: Discovery season 2, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt season 4 part 2, The Punisher season 2, Titans season 1, Comedians of the World, and Indian original movie Soni - all that and more coming to... http://bit.ly/2EYSqSh
Popular Android Apps Found to Share Data With Facebook Without Permission
A bunch of popular apps on Android could be putting your privacy at risk, according to a study conducted by Privacy International. http://bit.ly/2LN4AiR
Delhi High Court Recruitment 2019 – Apply Online for 60 Jr Judicial Asst Posts
Delhi High Court recruits 60 Jr Judicial Asst Posts. Candidates with Degree, PG can apply online from 04 to 23-01-2019.
APSC Recruitment 2019 – 222 AE, Agri Development Officer & Research Asst Posts
Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) recruits 157 AE, Agri Development Officer & Research Asst Posts. Candidates with Degree can apply on or before 08-02-2019. .
APPSC Recruitment 2019 – Apply Online for 1483 Panchayat Secretary Posts
Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) recruits 1051 Panchayat Secretary Posts. Candidates with Any Degree can apply online from 27-12-2018 to 19-01-2019.
TSNPDCL Recruitment 2019 – Apply Online for Junior Personnel Officer Posts
Northern Power Distribution Company of Telangana Ltd (TSNPDCL) recruits 25 Junior Personnel Officer Posts. Candidates with B.A/ B.Com/ B.Sc can apply online from 28-12-2018 to 17-01-2019.
APPSC Recruitment 2019 – Apply Online for 1051 Panchayat Secretary Posts
Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) recruits 1051 Panchayat Secretary Posts. Candidates with Any Degree can apply online from 27-12-2018 to 19-01-2019.
MIT researchers are now 3D printing glass
While the thought of a machine that can squirt out endless ropes of molten glass is a bit frightening, the folks at MIT have just about perfected the process. In a paper published in 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing, researchers Chikara Inamura, Michael Stern, Daniel Lizardo, Peter Houk, and Neri Oxman describe a system for 3D printing glass that offers far more control over the hot material and the final product.
Their system, called G3DP2, “is a new AM platform for molten glass that combines digitally integrated three-zone thermal control system with four-axis motion control system, introducing industrial-scale production capabilities with enhanced production rate and reliability while ensuring product accuracy and repeatability, all previously unattainable for glass.”
The system uses a closed, heated box that holds the melted glass and another thermally controlled box where it prints the object. A moveable plate drops the object lower and lower as it is being printed and the print head moves above it. The system is interesting because it actually produces clear glass structures that can be used for decoration or building. The researchers take special care to control the glass extrusion system to ensure that it cools down and crystallizes without injecting impurities or structural problems.
“In the future, combining the advantages of this AM technology with the multitude of unique material properties of glass such as transparency, strength, and chemical stability, we may start to see new archetypes of multifunctional building blocks,” wrote the creators.
Samsung Galaxy Note 9 Android Pie Update Scheduled for January Release
Samsung has scheduled the Android 9 Pie stable update for the Galaxy Note 9 smartphone in January 2019. http://bit.ly/2AmwOMS
This is how Facebook is reportedly being misused by smugglers and migrants in UK
Smugglers and migrants are using Facebook to buy boats for crossing the Channel from the French port city of Calais to come to Britain, The Telegraph reported. http://bit.ly/2BUY70K
This is likely to be the most important smartphone segment in 2018, according to analysts
Snazzier phones with premium price tags are set to vie for Indian customers' wallets in 2019. http://bit.ly/2R0YPUf
BSNL Offers Additional Talk Time on Prepaid Recharges to Counter Jio
The new offer is valid on special tariff voucher (STV) options of Rs. 152, Rs. 402, Rs. 175, and Rs. 219. http://bit.ly/2GO5NYe
Huawei Y7 Pro (2019) With 4,000mAh Battery, Waterdrop Notch Launched
The Huawei Y7 Pro (2019) smartphone sports a waterdrop-shaped notch, dual rear camera setup, face unlock, and 4,000mAh battery. http://bit.ly/2s3OY0Y
Nokia 9 PureViews leaked press render hints at in-display fingerprint sensor, reaffirms penta camera setup on the rear
Highlights: Press render of the Nokia 9 PureView smartphone has leaked online The image hints at an in-display fingerprint sensor There is also the alleged penta-camera setup on the back Recently, images of the Nokia 9 PureView smartphone's cover were posted online, strengthening previous claims of the device featuring a penta-camera setup. Now, a new image leaked on Twitter (via Evan Blass) shows the device with the same camera setup, reaffirming the previous reports. The image also suggests that the smartphone might be launched with an in-display fingerprint sensor, and there is also the expected "Android One” branding on the device's back panel. The render also suggests that the handset could sport noticeable bezels on the sides, and considerably thick bezel on the top and a noticeable chin. The phone seems to have just one selfie shooter and ambient light/proximity sensors on the front. There is a Nokia branding on the top bezel as well as on the rear, below the penta-camera setup. It can be seen equipped with five Zeiss lenses, a flash and an alleged optic sensor. Additionally, the renders show a mic hole above the camera setup. Till now, three Nokia phones with model numbers TA-1082, TA-1087, and TA-1094 have been spotted on Bluetooth certification websites. The TA-1094 variant of the phone was also seen on other certification websites like MIIT and 3C. The listings suggest that the smartphone might feature Bluetooth 5.0 and support 4G. Previously, reports claimed that the device would launch by the end of 2018 but later, a company executive said that the launch has been postponed. Rumours circulating the internet suggest that the handset might be launched at CES in January or MWC in February. The Nokia 9 PureView is speculated to feature a 4150mAh battery and could come equipped with a 5.9-inch, QHD resolution 3D glass OLED display. It is not known which processor this phone might be launched running on. It is rumoured to be the Snapdragon 845 or it could also be the newly-launched Snapdragon 855. The handset is said to sport a 41MP primary wide-angle camera, a 20MP secondary telephoto lens and a 9.7MP monochrome camera. Related Read: Nokia 9 launch postponed Nokia 9 may sport a 4150 mAH battery
http://bit.ly/2sahfU1
Realme Says It Will Expand Offline Sales to 150 Indian Cities in 2019
Realme on Monday said it would partner with 20,000 retail outlets in India to expand its offline sales to 150 cities in 2019. http://bit.ly/2AqBDEJ
French Startup Offers 'Dark Web' Compass, but Not for Everyone
For years criminal websites shrouded in secrecy have thrived beyond the reach of traditional search engines, but a group of French engineers has found a way to navigate this dark Web. http://bit.ly/2GNNeDk
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 to ship from January 15 for 349
Key Highlights: NVIDIA's new graphics card, GeForce RTX 2060, will go on sale from January 15, 2019 It's expected to cost $349 in the US How about a last-minute leak before we wind up the year that's seen so many hardware leaks and rumours? According to a recent report by VideoCardz.com, NVIDIA is preparing to introduce its newest graphics card, the GeForce RTX 2060 on January 7. The base Turing model will be available for sale from January 15. It will come bundled with Anthem or Battlefield V for free. It's expected to retail for a price of $349 in the US, which is approximately Rs 24,385. Along with news about the launch, the VideoCardz.com report also proudly presents the confirmed specs of the new card. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 comes packed with 1920 CUDA cores, 240 Tensor cores, 30 ray tracing cores, 120 texture mapping units, and 48 render output units. The GeForce RTX 2060, with its boosted clock speed of 1680 MHz, is a mid-range model replacing the GeForce GTX 1060 from the Pascal architecture. According to NVIDIA, its performance will be comparable to that of the GeForce GTX 1070 Ti. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 will feature 6GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit memory interface with a total memory bandwidth of 336GB/s. Though it's only the base model in the GeForce RTX series of graphics cards, the GeForce RTX 2060 is capable of ray tracing even if its ray tracing performance sits below that of the GeForce RTX 2070. According to VideoCardz.com, the GeForce RTX 2060 will run Battlefield V with ray tracing disabled at 90 frames per second, with ray tracing enabled at 65 frames per second, and with ray tracing at deep learning super-sampling (DLSS) enabled at 88 frames per second. Just last week, Gigabyte, one of the producers of NVIDIA graphics cards, was seen filing for the certification of forty different SKUs of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 card. It's possible the Taiwanese company is filing for every possible configuration of the card, even if some of them may never actually see the light of day. The upcoming CES event will shed more light on NVIDIA's new card. Inline images courtesy: VideoCardz.com Related Read: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 leaked by Gigabyte's EEC filings
http://bit.ly/2VgxL1U
China Probe Readies to Land on Far Side of the Moon
A Chinese space probe is moving into position to land on the dark side of the moon for the first time, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Sunday, http://bit.ly/2SyC4Ec
Fake-Porn Videos Are Being Weaponised to Harass and Humiliate Women
Airbrushing and Photoshop long ago opened photos to easy manipulation. Now, videos are becoming just as vulnerable to fakes that look deceptively real. http://bit.ly/2EVs0kx
Sony Unveils a Quick Charge 4, 4+ Compatible Power Adapter with USB PD
Sony's USB Type-C port and USB Type-A port give a total power output of 46.5W http://bit.ly/2GNWQOA
Samsung Galaxy S9 Facing Battery Drain After Pie Update, Some Users Report
Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ owners are reportedly facing battery drain issues after the recently released Android Pie update. http://bit.ly/2SvrT3c
iPhone Battery Replacement Programme for Out-of-Warranty Models Ends Today
Apple kicked off the battery replacement programme for out-of-warranty iPhone batteries in December last year. http://bit.ly/2LIWLKE
Social media poised for more scrutiny, greater checks in 2019
The year 2018 will go down in history as the one where social networking platforms made country-specific changes and agreed to store user data belonging to Indians within the country. http://bit.ly/2LIBsJl https://ift.tt/eA8V8J
Sunday, December 30, 2018
TNPSC 2019 – Group I Mains Result Released
Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC) has released revised result for Group I Posts.
Cyber-Attack Hits US Newspaper Distribution
The attack led to distribution delays in the Saturday edition of The Times, Tribune, Sun and other newspapers that share a production platform in Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Times reported. http://bit.ly/2QZ5UVj
Google Facial Recognition Lawsuit Dismissed by US Judge
US District Judge Edmond Chang in Chicago granted a Google motion for summary judgment, saying the court lacked "subject matter jurisdiction because plaintiffs have not suffered concrete injuries." http://bit.ly/2EZr6TV
Zuckerberg Sees 'Progress' for Facebook After Tumultuous Year
Capping a tumultuous year marked by data protection scandals and government probes, Zuckerberg said he was "proud of the progress we've made" in addressing Facebook's problems. http://bit.ly/2F1uFdg
In an year of breaches, data leaks, and reports of starvation deaths due to faulty implementation, India's Aadhaar had its constitutional status upheld in 2018 (Aria Thaker/Quartz)
In an year of breaches, data leaks, and reports of starvation deaths due to faulty implementation, India's Aadhaar had its constitutional status upheld in 2018 — After almost a decade since its launch, India's controversial biometric identity programme, Aadhaar, finally got a measure …
LG G7 ThinQ to get Android Pie update in Q1 2019: Report
Highlights: LG G7 ThinQ will get the Android Pie update in Q1 2019 in South Korea The update may come to other countries in the Q2 It will bring performance-related upgrades LG has announced that it is working on an Android Pie update for the LG G7 ThinQ and according to a report, will start rolling out the stable version of the update in the first quarter of 2019 in South Korea. The report in mylgphones.com says that it assumed that it would release for other markets in the second quarter of the next year. The news comes after LG officially launched the Android 9 beta programme for the G7 ThinQ in November in South Korea. The update seems to be very important as LG has listed a number of performance-related issues that will be addressed with this update. This includes an improvement that rectifies the screen freezes when the FPS setting is repeatedly changed in the professional video mode of the camera app. It will also address an issue in which fingerprints are not recognised in some financial apps and pay apps after software update. So far, LG has not announced the Android Pie update plan for the LG V40 ThinQ, though, it said that the upcoming update for the flagship would bring PentaShot feature on camera and parking assistant function and subway notification function in the context awareness setting, among others. According to the report, LG is also testing the firmware for LM-G820N, which is said to be the model number of the LG G8. The LG G8 is expected to launch with Android Pie out-of-the-box. LG G7 ThinQ Specifications The LG G7 ThinQ comes wrapped inside a glass with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 display protection. The handset features a 6.1-inch QHD+ FullVision Super Bright Display. The display is said to have a maximum brightness of up to 1,000 nits. It offers a 19.5:9 screen to body ratio. The smartphone is IP68 dust and water resistant. The LG G7 ThinQ comes with a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner and there is also a dedicated Google Assistant button on the device. Tapping the button once will launch the Google Assistant, while tapping it twice will bring up Google Lens. The phone includes Super Far-Field Voice Recognition (SFFVR) technology and is also equipped with “Boombox Speakers”, which are said to deliver 10 times louder audio, in comparison with standard phones. The LG G7 ThinQ is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC with 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage. Storage on the phone can be expanded up to 2TB. The phone is backed by a 3,000mAh battery and runs Android 8.0 Oreo. In terms of optics, the LG G7 ThinQ is equipped with a dual 16MP rear-camera setup with one standard lens of f/1.6 aperture and another 16MP Super Wide Angle sensor with f/1.9 aperture. On the front, it is equipped with an 8MP wide-angle camera with f/1.9 aperture and an 80-degree lens. The LG G7 ThinQ is equipped with a Hi-Fi Quad DAC and also supports DTS:X to deliver virtual 3D sound for delivering up to 7.1 channel audio with earphones, has a face recognition and HDR10 support on the device. Related Read: LG G7 Plus ThinQ Review LG G7 ThinQ, G7+ ThinQ launched 
http://bit.ly/2Ap41ac
Google clarifies Android One promise of guaranteed updates for 2 years
The Android One program by Google has come to replace the Nexus devices. In 2017, Google jumpstarted the program globally with the Xiaomi Mi A1. When earlier it was to make entry-level phones more responsive and usable, Android One became an embodiment of devices that would run a vanilla flavour of Android (always the latest), and offer two years of version upgrades and security patches. At that time, the promise of regular updates was a big selling point and a year down the line, we had quite a few Android One certified devices in the Indian market. On the landing page of the official Android One website, the promise of regular updates was highlighted explicitly — 2 years of guaranteed updates. However, a couple of days back, Reddit user anshumanpati6 spotted the mention of that same promise of regular updates missing from the landing page. This led many to believe that Android One no longer came with the compulsion of regular updates. However, Google denied there had been any change in the program; the promise of regular updates still holds. In a response to India Today, Google said, “We confirm that our promise to provide 2 years of updates on Android One devices still stands and our website design does not impact the promise of this program.” The Android One program was initially tailored for developing markets that demanded affordable devices with timely updates. Google enforced this with stringent minimum hardware requirements, but smartphone vendors couldn’t make much money on them. As a result, the present form of Android One is more flexible in terms of the hardware under the hood. For the entry-level phones, Google designed Android Go. Android One, on the other hand focused on offering affordable, mid-range devices update cycles users enjoy in the high-end Pixel phones with an user experience that seemed better than most skinned Android phones. There was no reason to think Google would abandon this crucial element of the program, save for the missing feature in the official website. In fact, there’s still no mention of the feature in the homepage. We are still waiting for Google to release an official response on the matter. It could just be a website redesign highlighting the security features, unlimited storage and the wide portfolio of Android One devices available in the market. Or, there could be more to the story than what meets the eye.
http://bit.ly/2SufBrR
Nubia Red Magic Mars RNG Edition With Up to 10GB RAM Launched
Nubia Red Magic Mars RNG Edition price in China starts at CNY 3,299 (roughly Rs. 33,500) for the 8GB RAM/ 128GB storage configuration. http://bit.ly/2QcZNHJ
WhatsApp Will Stop Working on These Phones Today
WhatsApp says that devices that run on Nokia S40 won't be able to use WhatsApp after December 31 i.e. today. http://bit.ly/2ViN5ei
You Can Play Bandersnatch Game 'Nohzdyve', With a Bit of Work
If you haven't gotten enough of the new Black Mirror: Bandersnatch interactive film on Netflix, you can now also play one of the games that's spoken about in the episode, Nohzdyve. http://bit.ly/2QcrBfF
iPhone XS Max Catches Fire in US Man's Pocket, Report Claims
An iPhone XS Max smartphone reportedly caught fire in the pocket of man from Ohio, United States earlier this month. http://bit.ly/2QdqmMW
Googles Messages app is reportedly getting new spam protection feature
Key Highlights: Google is said to be activating Spam protection feature on its Messages app The new feature is reportedly being enabled via a server-side update The spam protection feature could be rolled out soon for everyone Google is reportedly enabling a new spam protection feature on its Messages app for some users. Android Police reports that some users who launched the app were greeted with a notification stating, “New! Spam protection” and it seems that the new feature, which is said to have been under development for more than a year, is finally being made available. As of writing this article, Google has not posted anything regarding the spam protection rollout and the feature is reportedly being enabled via a server-side update and only for a few people. We checked for the option on some of our devices but they have not received it yet. As per the report, those who have received the spam protection feature on their Messages app will see a new “Spam protection" option under the Advanced tab of the app’s Settings. Earlier, Android Police reported a section on Google’s Support website that detailed how the new feature works. “When the setting is enabled, some information about the messages you receive (such as inbound phone numbers) is sent to Google, though stripped of identifying content like your phone number or the actual message itself. The inner machinations are undescribed, but presumably, it looks at that data statistically to determine commonalities between spam messages to detect them,” the report reads. In case one sends a spam report manually, the feature still submits the entire message to Google, which is said to include phone numbers of both, the sender, the recipient, along with the message's contents. Speaking of the Messages app, new commits found in Chromium’s Gerrit source code management site suggest that the web interface of the app could be moved from Messages.Android.com to Messages.Google.com. While the URL change might not seem like a big deal for the average user, the change is said to tell Chromebooks to stop using the Android.com URL and instead use the Google.com URL in versions 72 or 73 of Chrome OS. These versions are also said to include the ‘Better Together’ features for integrating Android and Chrome OS. This change should not affect the web interface of the app. Related Reads: Android Messages web app now lives in Google.com, not Android.com 
http://bit.ly/2StVSbB
Nokia 9 PureView With Penta-Lens Cameras Tipped to Launch in January 2019
Nokia 9 PureView, leaked multiple times with a penta-lens camera setup, is now tipped to launch in the last week of January. http://bit.ly/2R0vWrz
Huawei P Smart (2019) With Android Pie, Dewdrop Display Launched
Huawei P Smart (2019) is seen sporting a waterdrop-shaped notch, a dual camera setup aligned vertically, a rear fingerprint scanner, and a 3,400mAh battery. http://bit.ly/2GPpdff
China to land on the dark side of the moon: Report
In what will soon become another first for all of humanity, China is planning to land its lunar probe Chang'e 4 on the dark side of the moon. According to a recent report by the state-owned Xinhua News Agecny, the unmanned spacecraft was launched on a Long March-3B rocket on December 7. Chang'e 4 reached lunar orbit five days later and deployed its landing craft and surface rover in preparation for descent. The planned landing site is Von Kármán, a 180-kilometre crater in the South Pole–Aitken basin. The spacecraft reportedly entered an elliptical orbit around the moon on December 12 at 6:25 AM IST (12:55 AM GMT). From the pericenter, the point of closest approach for any celestial body in an elliptical orbit, the spacecraft is only 14.4 kilometres from the moon's rocky surface. The China National Space Administration reportedly announced that it would soon "prepare for the first-ever soft landing on the far side of the moon". From the dark side of the moon direct communication with Earth is not possible as the moon itself blocks all transmissions. For this reason, the Chinese National Space Administration set up a communications relay satellite called Queqiao (meaning Magpie Bridge) back in May this year in a halo orbit around the moon. Two other microsatellites, Longjiang-1 and Longjiang-2 (meaning Dragon River), were launched along with Queqiao for additional relay support. Chang'e 4's payload includes a landing camera (LCAM), a terrain camera (TCAM), and a low-frequency spectrometer (LFS) to study solar bursts, among other equipment. Chang'e 4's mission on the dark side of the moon is to measure the surface temperature, chemical compositions of lunar rocks and soils, study cosmic rays, observe the solar corona, and carry out low-frequency radio astronomical research.
http://bit.ly/2GNesdu
MPSC 2019 – Apply Online for 339 State Service Prelims Exam
Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) released final answer keys for Subordinate Services- ASO.
RRB Recruitment 2019 – Apply Online for 13487 JE, DMS & CMA Posts
Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) recruits 13487 JE, Depot Material Superintendent & Asst Posts. Candidates with Degree/ Diploma can apply online from 02-01-2019 to 31-01-2019.
HEC Ltd Recruitment 2019 – Apply Online for 319 Trainee Posts
Heavy Engineering Corporation Limited (HEC Ltd) recruits 150 Non Executive Trainee Posts. Candidates with 10th class, Diploma, B.Tech/ MCA, MBA can apply online from 18-12-2018 to 08-01-2019.
OSSSC Recruitment 2019 – Apply Online for 1746 Jr Clerk/ Jr Asst Posts
Odisha Sub-ordinate Staff Selection Commission (OSSSC) recruits 1746 Jr Clerk/ Jr Assistant Posts. Candidates with any degree can apply online from 29-12-2018 to 29-01-2019.
KSRTC 2019 – Non Supervisory Posts Call Letter Download
Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has released Call Letter for Non Supervisory Posts.
Aquaman Bests Suicide Squad as It Nears $750 Million Worldwide
Aquaman had a terrific final weekend of 2018 as it hit a worldwide total of $748.8 million, which took it past Justice League, Man of Steel, and Suicide Squad. http://bit.ly/2EVgqa1
Tesla Names Close Musk Friend Larry Ellison to Board
Tesla named Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison to its board to provide the independent oversight demanded by US regulators after Musk tweeted about taking the electric carmaker private. http://bit.ly/2AmQxf2
Nokia 9 PureView Leaked Press Render Shows Penta-Lens Camera Setup
Nokia 9 PureView is speculated to launch sometime in the last week of January 2019. http://bit.ly/2LEzBp1
OneWeb Satellite Internet Service Says Has Not Offered Stake to Russia
OneWeb, which plans to create a worldwide Internet network using satellites, said on Friday that it had not offered the Russian government a stake in the project. http://bit.ly/2Q9eVWR
Essential Phone by Android Co-Creator Andy Rubin Has Been Discontinued
Essential Phone has gone out of stock and the company has said it won't replenish the stocks, thus, effectively discontinuing the phone. http://bit.ly/2TdYz10
Dell Returns to Market With New York Sock Exchange Listing
The computer maker is trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol 'DELL', after it bought back shares that tracked the financial performance of software maker VMware. http://bit.ly/2TjCQoe
Infibeam, Snapdeal terminate Unicommerce deal
Infibeam had earlier said the acquisition would boost its e-commerce enablement capabilities and expand the product offerings for existing clients. http://bit.ly/2SyqXes https://ift.tt/eA8V8J
2019 is the year to go beyond awareness and actually take charge of our relationship with technology
In fact, our phones disconnect us even when we are not using them. A study from Virginia Tech looked at conversations among 100 pairs of people, some with phones on the table. http://bit.ly/2EYPwxR https://ift.tt/eA8V8J
Clash of the titans: The battle for India's giant retail market
Winning this epic war will hinge on one secret ingredient. And this unknown is what makes it fascinating. http://bit.ly/2EVcxku https://ift.tt/eA8V8J
Why India Inc's biggest play next year will be by Mukesh Ambani, from connectivity, content to commerce
Mukesh Ambani gave us the world's largest mobile data and all-4G network for free voice calls, and rock bottom internet rates to get drunk on data. http://bit.ly/2GMy4yd https://ift.tt/eA8V8J
Foldable screens, 5G & improved AR: Tech trends that will rule 2019
2019 will be all about mechanical sliders on mobiles and faster displays, 5G and smarter voice assistants. http://bit.ly/2EYPxlp https://ift.tt/eA8V8J
Netflix for iOS No Longer Offers iTunes Billing for New Subscribers
Netflix has stopped offering the iTunes billing as a payment method to its new or returning subscribers on iOS globally. http://bit.ly/2F0wF4R
Citi Cuts Q1 iPhone Production Estimates on Weak Demand
Citi said it expects the company to make 45 million iPhones for the quarter, down from 50 million it forecast earlier. http://bit.ly/2StL654
Inside Uber's serious incident team for US where ~130 investigators deal with reports of crashes, physical altercations, sexual misconduct, theft, and stalking (Shannon Bond/Financial Times)
Inside Uber's serious incident team for US where ~130 investigators deal with reports of crashes, physical altercations, sexual misconduct, theft, and stalking — There is space for scores of people in a section of Uber's office in downtown Phoenix but on a recent weekday morning only a handful …
Poorly conceived security, privacy rules could create new vulnerabilities: Symantec
Speaking to , Symantec Managing Director (India and SAARC) Gaurav Agarwal said there are certain aspects that need to be taken care of when these regulations are framed and implemented. http://bit.ly/2SvcyzE
A look inside the Taipei 101 New Year’s Eve fireworks show as it goes green
One of the tallest buildings in the world, Taipei 101’s New Year’s Eve fireworks have become an iconic celebration since the first show at the end of 2004. But despite being a major tourism draw, the fireworks haven’t been immune from criticism.
Over the past couple of years, as poor air quality becomes an increasingly serious issue throughout the country, the show has been targeted by Taiwanese environmental groups. The major of Taipei City, Ko Wen-je, said at the beginning of this year that the fireworks show should continue and other, more permanent measures against air pollution should be taken. “There are 365 days in a year,” he told reporters. “But the firework display was only 300 seconds, so we need a long-term plan to solve this problem.”
As one of the tallest LEED-certified buildings, however, Taipei 101 often serves as a case study for how landmark skyscrapers can reduce their carbon footprint, and it has been taking steps to reduce pollution from the show while keeping it a spectacle. A couple weeks ago, a group of bloggers and reporters was invited to take a look at this year’s preparations. (All photos in this story, with the exception of the one at the bottom featuring last year’s show, are by Garret Clarke.)
A technician with some of the fireworks that will be part of Taipei 101’s show.
16,000 fireworks will be used in this year’s show and preparations are usually finished by Dec. 28.
Over the past couple of years, the organizers of Taipei 101’s fireworks show have taken several measures to reduce pollution. Starting with last year’s show, the number of fireworks was reduced from 30,000 to 16,000. To add oomph to the reduced pyrotechnics, a 55-story-tall mesh screen made up of 140,000 LEDs, called a T-Pad, was installed by Taipei 101 fireworks contractor Giant Show on the north side of the skyscraper. The LED screen overlooks the plaza outside of Taipei City Hall where a New Year’s Eve concert is held every year and showcases animations that coordinate with the music and fireworks.
The LED screen is used during the rest of the year for promotions, advertisements and holiday messages
Andy Yang, head of corporate branding and communications for the Taipei Financial Center Corp., Taipei 101’s owner, told TechCrunch that this year’s show cost a total of about NTD $60 million (about USD $1.96 million). It will also include 16,000 fireworks, installed from the 34th to 91st floors of Taipei 101, and animations on the T-Pad. The team that plans the show includes 10 to 15 designers and about 50 pyrotechnicians who install the fireworks on the exterior of the building. Preparations are typically completed by Dec. 28.
Andy Yang stands in front of the scaffolding that leads up to Taipei 101’s 55-story-tall LED mesh screen
Yang says Taipei 101 has been decreasing the number of fireworks used year by year. The LED screen is currently only on one side of Taipei 101, but Taipei 101’s management is exploring the possibility of extending it to other sides of the building.
Taipei 101’s fireworks show at the end of 2017, with the LED screen in view. (kecl/Getty Images)
Taipei 101 also instates an “all lights off” policy, turning off all exterior lights before and after the show in order to reduce carbon emissions. The LED screen not only enables Taipei 101 to reduce the number of fireworks used, but also enables the integration of pyrotechnics, animations, music, and lights into one show, “which brings more design and content opportunities and possibilities for Taipei 101 and Taiwan,” he says.
UP Basic Education Board 2019 – 69000 Asst Teacher Admit Card
Uttar Pradesh Basic Education Board (UPBEB) recruits 69000 Assistant Teacher Posts. Eligible candidates may apply online from 06-12-2018 to 22-12-2018.
Big data - Next year will see a big shift in big tech
The short point is that data protection is not just about Aadhaar. http://bit.ly/2TnjSgN https://ift.tt/eA8V8J
Ecommerce’s talent hunt to stay on course
Hiring plans of Flipkart and Amazon are unlikely to change despite the recent change in the foreign direct investment policy for the e-commerce sector http://bit.ly/2GM3lkN https://ift.tt/eA8V8J
Amazon may seek legal view on future of food retail play
Amazon is said to be seeking legal opinion on whether Amazon Retail India Pvt. Ltd (ARIPL) can continue selling on its marketplace or has to stop from February 1, when the new guidelines take effect. http://bit.ly/2BR1XYs https://ift.tt/eA8V8J
Next year calls for entrepreneurs to push forward real innovation
The tightening of norms that govern FDI in the ecommerce sector announced last week has left the country’s biggest online retailers enmeshed in the coils of a Gordian Knot. http://bit.ly/2QWuMgx https://ift.tt/eA8V8J
Online electronics brands looking at fresh strategies to de-risk play
While online-exclusive brands such as Vu, BPL, TCL explore ways to push sales, Flipkart and Amazon are unlikely to change their hiring plans http://bit.ly/2GQ4rft https://ift.tt/eA8V8J
Big players in autonomous driving like Uber, Tesla, and Waymo had a disappointing 2018, but several startups with a "minimum viable product" made good progress (Timothy B. Lee/Ars Technica)
Big players in autonomous driving like Uber, Tesla, and Waymo had a disappointing 2018, but several startups with a “minimum viable product” made good progress — Big companies struggled but small ones moved forward. — As 2018 dawned, expectations for self-driving vehicles were sky-high:
Here’s how to play a game from Black Mirror’s Bandersnatch episode
If you’ve gone down the rabbit hole with Netflix’s latest Black Mirror release, there’s (at least) one more easter egg out there. As some intrepid Reddit users discovered, you can actually visit two different versions of fictional software company Tuckersoft’s website and… spoilers ahead.
On the regular Tuckersoft site, discovered through a QR code embedded in the show itself, Tuckersoft advertises its game lineup including Bandersnatch, a “revolutionary game from Stefan Butler.” In this timeline, Tuckersoft released both Nohzdyve and Bandersnatch and Stefan eventually eclipsed his gaming idol Colin’s own fame, driving the company forward. As the site notes:
“While Colin Ritman was Tuckersoft’s leading man, it was Stefan Butler’s 1984 release, Bandersnatch, that catapulted the company to new heights. The innovative narrative and gameplay transformed interactive entertainment forever.”
If you visit the Tuckersoft site but strip out the www., the company never released Colin’s game due to a tragic incident. If you’ve seen the episode, you can probably guess what that was. This version of the site includes the following text:
“A bleak turn of events would lead to the abrupt cancellation of Colin Ritman’s highly-anticipated game, Nohzdyve, and the end of Stefan Butler’s promising career.
“Metl Hedd remains a classic, but the world will have to wonder what Nohzdyve was like. Rumour has it, an early version of the game is somewhere out there, waiting to be played for the first time.”
Black Mirror fans will note that the fictionalized site for Colin’s other major title, Metl Hedd, depicts the BigDog-like robots that terrorized humans in season four’s particularly harrowing episode “Metalhead.” Tuckersoft’s other games contain plenty of references to Black Mirror episodes too.
In the timeline in which Colin was able to finish Nohzdyve, the game’s sub-page has a download link for a file called nohzdyve.tap and the instructions to “Play Nohzdyve on your ZX Spectrum emulator.” Apparently, the file works and if you run Windows and you’re willing to install an emulator (like Speccy) for the obscure British 8-bit console, you can actually play Colin’s rather prescient release. We’re told it might work on a Commodore 64 emulator too, but haven’t tested that out (yet).
So far it doesn’t look like Bandersnatch is playable anywhere, but given that the episode itself is a game and the game itself results in certain horror, that’s probably for the best.
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Sources: after five Thinking Machines staff left, investors are rattled, potentially impacting fundraising; two researchers quit via Slack during an all-hands (The Information)
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